Devil May Cry: Slayer's Return
by Shocknawe 425
Summary: Everything went so wrong that fateful day. Nero lost his mother, hunted by Zeus and the other gods, and a new Demon King has risen, but it is just them that will be affected. Worlds will collide and bonds will be tested, and perhaps new ones will be forged. Through all the fire and blood that will be spilled, a Dark Slayer shall return to a world he once called home. (Nero X Saeko)
1. Chapter 1 Visions and Visits

_**Here we are, the first chapter of the second book in what could likely be a really good series if everyone keeps following my stories that is.**_

_**I want to apologize for taking such a long time to post this story, I've just been under a lot of stress recently what with moving to college and being on my own for the first time. Because of that stress and anxiety, I wasn't able to get anything done. Sorry about that.**_

_**Anyway, been getting some mixed responses about the OC I have in mind for Nero. I've taken some time to think about it and well, my OC is less a parody of a character and more like I'm integrating that exact character into this story. So, the OC is not an OC any longer, she is her original character with all her traits and characteristics intact, just put into this story with minor changes to her background for plot convenience, as well as some minor changes to her equipment and weapons. So the trial pairing with Nero is Saeko Busujima and it might seem a bit random, but just hear me out for a second. I explained my reasoning to some very adamant fans of Nero X Artemis and they found my reasoning pretty good.**_

_**She's a lot of ways like Kyrie: caring, calm, genuine, understanding. However, there is the downside she is a little sadistic in a fight but for the most part, she is like Kyrie. The reason I'm even considering pairing them together is due to their views on love. Saeko, in the anime, believes she is unworthy of love due to her sadistic nature and that something that pure shouldn't be hers. As for Nero, I've shown that he is capable of falling of love, but he is scared of losing someone else again and so shut himself off from everyone, hence his withdrawn and rude personality thus far.**_

_**I believe that Saeko and Nero can help each other through their struggles. Nero being a demon was able to find love, so if someone like him can find love then so can Saeko. And Saeko's caring nature can help Nero no longer be afraid of losing someone he holds dear to himself. It's a give-and-receive relationship I'm going for between them if that happens.**_

_**Is that good enough?**_

_**Either way, Saeko will be coming to this story in about two to three chapters.**_

_**Anyway, moving on.**_

_**I'd like to apologize again for taking so long but I've been under a lot of stress with moving to college. So I haven't been able to write this story because of that stress. Anyway, I just want you all to know that updates may not happen very often or promptly. I'll try to get them to you as much as I can, but don't expect a chapter once a week. Also, this first chapter might be kinda shaky, as in it might not be my best work, but it's the best I can do with my current state of mind. While it might seem half baked, I don't want to keep you guys waiting any longer than I have to.**_

_**Also, I'm in the market for a new editor. My old one, while she helped me immensely through the first book has gone M.I.A. Haven't heard anything from her in months. So if you're reading this **_**_Mayday Maria, what happened? Where did you go? I'm not mad or upset or anything, I'm just confused, you suddenly just vanished after a while without any explanation. I'd gladly welcome you back Mayday, but I just want to know what happened._**

**_Okay, that's all I have to say right now._**

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson and Capcom owns Devil may Cry**_

* * *

_**Devil May Cry: Slayer's Return**_

_**Chapter 1: Visions and Visits**_

_**Montauk, Long Island, New York**_

_1 week prior…_

The plan had gone off without so much as a hitch.

Not only had they escaped the prison of the Demon World, but they had also displayed just how outclassed the Greek Pantheon and its precious heroes are to the power and savagery of Demonkind. If he was like his father, he might have taken the time to rub salt into the wounds of the gods, but he was not like him. No, he knew better than to allow his pride to get in the way of his plans, despite how much his demonic urges demanded him to do so. His resolve to succeed where his father and his brother failed. Berial was certainly powerful, conquering the Fire Hell was no small feat, but in his haste, he didn't form the necessary plan to deal with the likes of Dante or his nephew.

**"Master, is there any reason we are leaving so soon?"** asked one of his sins.

Excelsus looked back at the one who asked. The demon had taken a somewhat human form. The demon bore silver armor that had scale-like patterns all across the plating.

**"There is, Valfalk,"** replied the Demon King,** "But we must not allow our pride to blind us to our one true goal."**

**"You're the boss,"** conceded the demon as it folded its arms. It strangely had a South American accent, **"But still, why run? They are defenseless."**

Excelsus didn't even need to answer as a piercing shriek echoed from Camp Half-Blood in the distance. The King turned around to see an orb of pure demonic energy shoot into the sky before detonating in a blinding flash. Valfalk shielded his red eyes while Excelsus didn't even so much as squint from the intensity of the light. From the orb, came a massive shockwave of energy, one that was visible. It swept across the ground, causing trees to sway and wind to blow past them.

Excelsus narrowed his yellow eyes as he felt the power wash over him, however, a sadistic smirk formed behind his mask. It appears the boy had saved him some time. The Demon King began to chuckle lowly.

**"Master?"** asked Valfalk, **"What was that?"**

**"That, my loyal follower, is the sounding of the horns of doom,"** replied the heir of Mundus.

**"I'm not sure I understand."**

**"As you know, there are other pantheons in this world; not just the pagans or followers of God and other religions,"** elaborated Excelsus as he turned fully to face his minion, **"but African, Armenian, Aztec, Buddhist, Berber, Canaanite, Chinese, Germanic, Guanche, Hindu, Incan, Jain, Japanese, Japanese Buddhist, Maya, Native American, Rigvedic, Slavic, Sumerian, and Yoruba. These are all pantheons that exist in this world. Each filled with their gods, goddesses, monsters, and demigods."**

**"What of them, Master?"** asked Valfalk, not quite understanding his master's vision.

**"We had escaped the Demon World to make the Human world our home, my dear Valfalk. To take what was promised by Kronos to my father; but the gods of each of these pantheons would no doubt try to resist, as he once did. I had intended to send a warning to each pantheon to not interfere with my plans,"** continued Excelsus as he looked to the sky and saw the energy wave was still going, **"But it appears the boy's interference has saved us time. Soon all pantheons across this world shall know that the beasts which once attacked this world have returned, and Sparda is not there to save them this time."**

**"You seek to do battle with all the pantheons?"** breathed Valfalk in shock at his master's ambition.

**"Rest assured, I am not so foolish as to attack so soon with so few resources,"** finalized Excelsus as he held his hand out in front of him. In his palm, a miniature globe of the Earth appeared, **"We shall go regroup and bide our time for the right moment; consolidate our power, build our forces, and when the time comes."**

Excelsus's eyes flashed as the globe he was holding sudden burst into flames, **"We shall begin our war. The War of Gods and Demons."**

**"What about Dante?"** spoke up the Devil, causing Excelsus to glance back at his servant,** "And the boy?"**

**"Yes,"** nodded the King, recalling those 'minor' individuals,** "Dante and the boy will prove to be a challenge. But fret not, they will not impede our plans for some time."**

**"How do you know this, master?"**

**"I know this because I know how a god thinks,"** replied Excelsus, **"I know how Zeus thinks and behaves. I have studied the history of this world and its legends. If the tales throughout history are of any proof to the arrogance and pride of the youngest son of Kronos, then Zeus will want justice for the wounding of his pride."**

Excelsus looked down at the miniature burning Earth in his hands, **"And if they by some miracle they reach a truce, even less an alliance, it won't matter then."**

**"The dawning of a new age is beginning in this world."**

The Demon King brought the glove closer to his face, watching as the land burned and the oceans turned to blood.

**"The reign of demonkind."**

* * *

Sure enough, across the entire planet, the energy wave passed over everything; every town, city, state, and kept going. The wave could not be seen by mortal eyes, but deities and magical entities could instantly feel it.

The same Lamias, the one that Nero spared a few days ago felt the massive disturbance. She was currently in her human form at the edge of New York City. Her human form was extremely beautiful, with lightly tanned skin, a long snake tattoo went down her back and to her right leg, the head of the snake on her left shoulder. She had black hair that was tied into a bun with pins stuck in. She also wore some designer glasses that were missing the arms and just rested on her nose. Along with eyewear, she also had a pair of silver earrings. A red dress hugged her entire body and had a large hole cut into the chest, exposing a portion of her bust. She was currently sitting at a table in a coffee shop, not exactly a good place to hide from the gods but it served its purpose.

Not many demigods knew that this was _the_ Lamia, one of Hectate's daughters and Queen of Libya, and the one that was cursed by Hera for her unknowing affair with Zeus. In response to the courtship, Hera killed her children, Altheia and Demetrius, and then Lamia was turned into a monster. While she was cursed, that didn't mean she could assume a human form, but only temporarily. Angered at the goddess, she used an incantation to allow all the monsters in the world to sense the taint of half-bloods so that they could always be found. Lamia did it out of spite so that Hera would finally understand her pain of losing her children after so many demigods have been killed. Over the years, she and a few other of her kind appeared and had run into the children of the gods, all with similar responses to her and her history.

Contempt.

Malice.

Mockery.

Scorn.

And ridicule.

That is until she met one.

The boy with the silver hair and red sword.

Ever since she ran into the demon hunter, she could stop thinking about him. Out of all the demigods she's faced, why was it that this one made her think more than the others? She couldn't understand it. Especially what he said to her before allowing her to flee.

_'I've only seen two other demons cry and you're not like anything I've come across,'_ Nero's words echoed in her mind as she looked down and pondered.

"Why did you spare me?" spoke Lamia to herself. While the boy cut down her sisters(not by blood but suffered a similar fate from Hera) with ease, he only stopped when he saw she was crying: why? Why did her tears stop him from slicing her to pieces?

She looked at her hands for a moment before a distant boom caught her attention. Looking out the window, the mythical being stood up in surprise when she saw the wave of energy heading right towards her. The second the wave hit her, a feeling of dread exploded inside her body. Lamia gasped as she stumbled back and fell, starting some human customers.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" asked a waitress, taken by surprise when she collapsed.

"No, no I'm not," her words quivered as the feeling grew inside her. Along with dread came anguish, sorrow, panic, and terror.

Something was very wrong.

* * *

_**Lux Nightclub, Los Angeles, California**_

Nowhere in the world was safe as the wave swept across everything.

A small nightclub in LA was particularly affected. As soon as the wave passed over, a handful of people were affected, collapsing to the ground from the power that flowed through. The reason behind why multiple people fell to the ground was that this wasn't a normal nightclub, and its manager was far from normal himself.

Pulling himself up after nearly collapsing was a tall man, rough 6' 4". On top of being very tall, he was dashingly-handsome, a distinct charm seem to radiate from him, and he was last a dark-haired man with a model-like face and a muscular body.

"Now, there's something you don't expect to feel every day," quipped the man with a sophisticated RP English accent, which people usually find "charming."

"What just happened, Lucifer?" asked a waitress that came over to him, "Why did some people fall and the others didn't?"

"You mean to tell me that you didn't notice which of our guests were affected and which weren't?" asked the man now identified as Lucifer, almost condescendingly. The waitress gave him a confused look, prompting him to roll his eyes, "All the guests that were affected have mystical abilities."

Sure enough, the patrons that were affected did have distinct appearances. Ones that weren't suited to average humans.

"But what happened?" asked the waitress once more.

"'What happened?'" repeated Lucifer carefully as he adjusted his jacket, his expression turning somewhat darker.

"What happened was that the barrier between our worlds was broken," explained the man, reaching up to his neck with his right hand and ran his fingers down his skin. For a second, hideous scars appeared, going up from his jaw down, passed the collar of his shirt, "And some pests escaped."

Lucifer's eyes flashed red for a second, "Ones I'm all too familiar with."

* * *

_**Kiso Mountains, Japan**_

Even places like Japan were not spared.

High in the mountain range was a secret Japanese Shinto temple, however, it was far from a normal place of worship. There was a massive courtyard where dozens of people were gathered, all wearing similar clothing. They were all practicing sword swings with Bokkens, Japanese wooden swords that were made specifically for training.

Watching the warriors train were two people; one, a fully-grown man wearing predominately white robes and a blue vest, his face shadowed by a straw hat. However, these clothing had very special Japanese characters crafted sewn into the fabric, the fabric itself was made extremely well and more than likely cost a fortune. Due to the straw hat he wore, the man's eyes glowed bright blue. His arms were folded across his chest as he observed the progress of the next generation.

With him was a tall woman, about 5' 8.5", with long, straight and shiny purple hair, along with a triangular fringe at the front that barely touches the ridge of her nose. She had deep blue eyes, a rather large bust, and a light skin tone. She wore an untucked white blouse, a green untied tie hung loosely around the collar. The collar was flipped up with the top two buttons were undone, exposing her cleavage. The cuffs were rolled up to her elbows. She also wore black pants that were tucked into knee-high lace leather heeled boots. A green belt was strapped around her waist and was connected to a special harness that wrapped around her left thigh.

All was well when the wave of energy passed over the temple and the man suddenly groaned and collapsed to one knee.

"Lord Raiden!" gasped the girl as she rushed to the man's side, "What is wrong?"

"I... I have felt a terrible disturbance," replied the man as he stood up, but gladly accepted the aid of the girl. His hand still pressed to his temple, "Something sinister has just crossed into our world."

"What do you mean?" pressed the girl.

"An entity that was long thought vanquished, has made a return," replied Raiden, lowering his hand, his expression turning grim, "And I'm afraid we cannot face this threat alone."

Steeling his nerves he steadied himself, "I must speak with the other gods about this development. Saeko; but be prepared to depart at a moment's notice."

Saeko nodded, understanding that she must be ready. Raiden then raised his right hand into the air. From the sky, a bolt of lightning crashed down right into the palm of his hand. In a bright flash of electric blue, he vanished. When he was gone, the girl, looked out into the distance, noting that the sky seemed darker, and the shadows cast by the surrounding structures seemed longer.

She might not be a deity, but she didn't need to be to know that something was most seriously wrong.

* * *

_**Lowell Manor, Wisconsin**_

_Three weeks later (Two weeks after the end of Godly Demon)__..._

Three weeks had passed since they escaped from Camp Half-Blood, but it was a hollow victory in the eyes of the ones who escaped.

Dante, Trish, Lady, and Nero all knew this was far from over; not with a devil, perhaps even more, and dozens of demons on the loss. The three veteran demon hunters had retreated to the Lowell Manor, figuring that they could lay low for a short period, agreeing that given what happened with the Greek Gods, they weren't done with them yet. Especially with Zeus's personality and history, he would hold them responsible.

"So, we heard anything yet about this, 'Excelsus' character?" asked Dante, arms folded as he leaned against the wall of an office where he, Trish, and Lady were speaking to Morrison who just got back after doing some research. In the office was a couch, an armchair where Lady was currently seated, Trish was on the opposite side of the room from Dante, her arms folded. At the center was a large, wooden, Victorian desk with a very comfortable looking chair behind it. Morrison was seated in said chair, a tired expression marring his face.

"Not so much as a peep, I'm afraid," sighed Morrison as he flipped his fedora in his hands, "You'd think that after the big display at the kid's family camp, he would've made a move by now."

"Not necessarily," interjected Trish as she walked across the room, "While most Devils are very proud, even arrogant, there are some that are more methodical in their approach."

"So, you're saying that this guy might be taking his time?" suggested Lady as she sat in a chair within the office.

"Normally, yes," nodded the blonde demon lady, however, she frowned touched her chin, her eyes narrowed slightly, "but based on what Nero has described him, I believe he is from a very small minority of devils from the Demon World."

"And that would be?" queried Dante, his own eyes narrowing slightly when he noticed Trish's expression change.

"The very few Devils that know exactly how powerful they are and do not let their pride blind them," answered the demoness as she sat down on the desk in the office, "They are possibly the most dangerous Devils in the Demon World."

"A demon minus the arrogance and the superiority complex," snorted Dante, "Still sounds like any old target we take on."

"Except this devil isn't like the others," stated Trish, her eyes hardening, "Excelsus is fully aware he isn't able to take you on by himself; which is why he gave us an ultimatum instead of fighting us. He plans and thinks, making him even more dangerous than any other devil."

"Even the big guy?" asked Lady, sitting back in the armchair.

"Mundus was calculating, but his ego could still affect his decisions," replied Trish, spitting out the name like a bad taste in her mouth, "Excelsus, he knows exactly where he stands in the world and he plans to move up through it carefully."

"Okay, so he's a smart demon," conceded Dante, holding his hands up in a placating gesture, "But do we know anything about this guy's history?"

"I've never heard of any demon named Excelsus," sighed Trish as she got off the desk and folded her arms, "If he is from the Demon World, he must've risen recently."

Dante let out a tired sigh as he closed his eyes while Lady looked off to the side. This wasn't very helpful. It was pretty clear that Excelsus posed a threat to the world and had plans to do a lot of harm in the future. While in the past Dante and the others had taken on demons with even less information, this was a devil that had all the power, maybe even more than most devils, but none of the arrogance.

This made him possibly even more dangerous than even the likes of Mundus, the Demon King of the Demon World.

If they were going to take on Excelsus, they needed more information, but right now, they needed to lay low. Hiding from Nero's newfound family.

"How's the kid doing by the way?" asked Morrison, fanning himself with his hat.

Trish looked down for a moment while Dante let out a tired sigh.

"Still mopping around," answered the Devil Hunter. While it sounded harsh, Dante was being sarcastic; ever since getting to the Manor, Nero had been withdrawn from everyone, well, more withdrawn than usual. Ever since finding out that Hestia was his mother and then blowing her off. They didn't need a degree in psychology to know that the kid regretted what he said to his mother that day, but they figured he'd be back to his old self at least by now.

"He hasn't come out of that room other than to eat or when nature calls," explained Lady as she leaned forward.

"He's also been sleeping more than usual," added Trish.

"Based on what you told me what happened, seems to me, the kid is trying to come to terms that he has a family outside Dante and his old man," noted Morrison.

"No," countered Dante as he glanced towards the door leading out of the room, "Something tells me it's more than just that."

They all knew what Nero was like; short-tempered, brash, emotional, but loyal to a fault for the ones he loved. He would move Heaven and Earth for someone he loved with all his heart. It's too bad that the one he loved was no longer with them.

"You think it has something to do with Kyrie?" asked Trish.

"I think it has something to do with who his mother is," replied the veteran Devil Hunter, "Plus all that happened afterward."

* * *

_**Nero's Room**_

He couldn't sleep.

Not with everything that happened, and what was happening.

The young demon hunter had a strained expression adorning his face as he laid on his back. Beads of sweat rolled down his face while images flashed through his mind rapidly. Nero gritted his teeth as a new batch of visions flowed through his mind.

* * *

_*Dreamscape*_

_Within Nero's mind, the hunter stood in a fast misty area. The sky looked like the Milky Way Galaxy, hundreds of thousands of stars dotting the sky, however, it didn't matter to him as the demonic demigod fell to his hands and knees. His breath shallow and his skin extremely pale. Suddenly, the mist began to swirl around._

_"Not again," groaned Nero as the images began once more._

_The mist formed into shapes, almost like windows to different places on Earth. Around him, windows opened ways to major cities like Los Angeles in California to Miami, Florida. Other windows revealed places which Nero had never seen; like an isolated island in the middle of the ocean and based on the foliage, it was close to the Americas. The image closed in on a certain area of the island, a small village that appeared to be inhabited. The mist near the window began to swirl up and form two figures, one slightly taller than the other. The first figure was a short, frail old woman, with tan skin and deep, green eyes. She wears a white-colored knit cap on her head with bronze bells on each side, a dark green robe with white patterns encircling the wrists and base, and brown, open-toed sandals. Numerous bracelets are worn on her wrists, and a red, beaded sash is wrapped over her right shoulder. In her right hand is a unique staff, something that Hermes would carry. _

_The figure next to the first began to take shape as well, for a tall and lithe woman who was fairly attractive with tan skin. Her bright red hair was tied into a braid over her left shoulder. The most notable pieces of her wardrobe are her short, white cape and her exposed midriff. She also has deep emerald green eyes, which help accent both her tanned skin and bright red hair. She wears brown leather gloves that have a white lining, and various brown leather gear on her outfit: the holsters for her blades, the pouches for her throwing knives, as well as a series of leather clasps to help keep her cape in place. Her red hair, white cape, and grey top/pants are meant to mirror the color scheme of Dante. Her Red hair to go with his red cloak and her white cape/grey clothing meant to go with his silver hair._

_'Well, what are you doing here, Son of Sparda,' spoke the elderly woman, pointing her staff at seemingly nothing._

_'Dante, it's been a while,' greeted the redheaded woman with a small smile._

_Nero gritted his teeth as he turned away._

_"You're not real!" he snapped, getting to his feet, but to just fall right back down._

_'Seems like we're all in quite the pinch with dark, wouldn't you agree hunter?' said an English voice, prompting Nero to look and see a new figure and new location. A small bar was shown in the window while its owner stood beside it, 'And I should know about dark forces.'  
_

_"Stop it!" groaned Nero as he held his head, feeling like it was going to burst.  
_

_'My orders take priority,' stated an almost emotionless voice. Before Nero was a sort of knight that didn't appear too far off from the Angelos that Agnus created. The main difference was the armor's color; being a bright ruby with armored plating hugging it's body while a silk cape wafted behind it. In its right hand was a sword, or at least the handle of one as a jet of fire shot out from the top of the handle. A window appeared behind the knight and revealed Fortuna to Nero. The former Holy Knight's eyes went wide when he saw his home and the home of Credo and Kyrie. The window then flashed forward, heading towards the far north end of the island and focused onto a single location. It was close to the Headquarters of the Order, but still out of the way that no one knew it existed. The window zoomed in further, passing through the hallways of the abandoned building, hallways Nero didn't even know existed and into a massive open chamber. It was easily the size of an Olympic swimming pool. In the middle of the chamber was a massive device, easily 50 feet tall, designed similarly to a rosebud. Three large arms rose up while unique patterns crossed the metal plating. A platform was placed in front of the device and in line with an arch that was built into the machine. The machine suddenly activated, the patterns lighting up while the three prongs started spinning rapidly and the archway burst into light. A silhouette appeared in the glowing arch as the machine spun faster. A cloaked figure that was about as tall as Dante, a silver cane in the owner's right hand._

_'I cannot disobey my orders,' stated the knight as it entered a combat stance, 'Should I disobey, my consciousness shall be terminated.'_

_'I am sorry. You must die.'_

_The knight lunged at Nero, the Devil Hunter raised Devil Bringer to block the attack, but the knight burst into mist the second it struck his arm. The hunter a few times before he held his head again as another migraine erupted. He collapsed onto his back, curling up in a fetal position._

_"Make it stop," he pleaded._

_'This situation is direr than just the fate of one pantheon,' another voice spoke up. Behind Nero appeared Raiden, the hunter dragging himself to his knees._

_Suddenly hundreds of images appeared in windows, Nero on his knees as he watched demons run rampant. He recognized Camp Half-Blood being attacked all over again, campers getting slaughtered left and right, and it wasn't just at the camp but across the world. Demons flooded the streets as innocent people were killed, torn apart in a gory mess. The next image displayed Excelsus, kicking down a set of golden doors. The demon at his full size entered the room where Nero saw the Greek gods taken completely off guard. The Devil held up Hades' helm before crushing and tossing it aside._

_"Enough!" begged Nero as he couldn't take any more visions, "No more!"_

_Suddenly, all the windows vanished as did the figures until but one remained directly in front of him. It was a woman with purple hair and blue eyes._

_'Do you believe in destiny, Nero?' she asked sincerely._

_*End Dreamscape*_

* * *

Nero shot up, panting rapidly as his body trembled in a cold sweat. He looked down at his hands, noticing that Devil Bringer's glow was slightly dimmer than what it used to be. It was then he noticed he was trembling, his breathing was shallow and he felt cold all over.

"What the hell's wrong with me?" he muttered to himself.

"Nero?" came a soft voice.

The hunter's attention snapped to the door where he saw Patty standing in the doorway, a tray in her hands. On it was a glass of orange juice and some food, however, it wasn't the food that had Nero's attention but the worried expression on the sixteen-year old's face.

"Hey Patty," greeted Nero tiredly as he rubbed his face with his left hand.

"I heard you groaning," said Patty as she approached the bed and set the tray down on the bedside table, "Are you okay?"

"Honestly, no," groaned the hunter, "Just found out who my mother is."

"Isn't that a good thing?" she asked. The hunter glanced at the young blonde for a second, thinking about it for a moment before letting out a tired sigh.

"Considering who the rest of her family is, maybe not," he replied with a downcast expression. He pissed off a lot of people in his life and he might have done the same with Zeus and the other Greek Gods.

Patty didn't know what to say for a few moments before she perked up slightly.

"Well, at least you know you have family outside of Dante," she pointed out, trying to be optimistic.

"That might not be a good thing," countered Nero as he removed the covers and got out of bed. He had discarded his jacket and stitched sweater but kept his pants and muscle shirt on. Quickly getting dressed, he picked up the tray and headed to the door, "Come on. Let's go say hi to the others."

Following him, Patty trailed after Nero around the large manor. It took a few minutes to find where Dante, Trish, Lady, and Morrison were, but they eventually found them.

"Look who's back from the dead," teased Dante, trying to lighten the mood.

"Piss off, Dante," snapped Nero sharply as he made his way to the desk.

"Are you okay, Nero?" asked Trish, noticing that Dante's nephew seemed very pale, "You don't look well."

"I'm fine," he replied briskly as Morrison relieved himself from the chair to let Nero sit down. The hunter sat the tray down and started to have his breakfast, "What'd I miss?"

"Not much," replied Lady as she stood up from her chair and headed to the side of the room, "As far as we know, Excelsus has all the power of a high tier devil but none of the ego."

"I could've told you that," muttered the hunter dryly, "In fact I did."

"Yeah, which is a problem," added Trish, "with such little info, we are at a serious disadvantage."

"Aren't we normally like that?" countered the youngish hunter, glancing at the lightning demoness.

"Not like this, Nero," elaborated Dante, "In the past, the intentions of a devil or demon were pretty straight forward: kill as many humans as possible and just generally do whatever the hell they want."

"How's that any different from this guy?" demanded the youngest heir of Sparda.

"This time, this demon is being careful," continued Morrison, fanning himself with his hat, "treating the situation like a chess game. Planning his next move, coming up with strategies to take us out. Heck, maybe even the Greek Gods now that he's got a taste for their kids."

Nero glanced down for a moment, recalling one of the visions he had in his mind. The slaughter of everyone and not just the Greek gods, but of every god. While not his main focus, he did catch some images out of the corner of his eyes of other possible deities, getting torn to shreds by Excelsus's forces. Nero didn't even notice the lightning flash outside the manor but he did notice the massive boom of thunder that echoed seemingly through the entire room. The youngest hunter shot to his feet while Dante, Trish, and Lady all snapped to focus.

From the light bulbs throughout the entire room, a bolt of electricity shot out and collected in the center. A sudden bright blue flash momentarily blinded everyone in the room. When the sudden brightness began to fade, Nero locked his attention onto whoever it was. So far, the only person he knew of that could control electricity, excluding Trish, was Zeus.

How did he find them?!

Did they make a mistake when they left New York and leave a trail for them to follow?

Any more questions halted when Nero saw that it wasn't at all Zeus, but rather two individuals. The hunter's eyes then went wide in shock as he got a clear look at who they were.

It was the man and woman from his vision!

"This goes beyond the fate of the Greek Pantheon," spoke up the being as his eyes glowed electric blue.

"Who the heck is this guy?" asked Dante incredulously.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Son of Sparda," began the man as he closed his right hand into a fist and brought to his open palm. Once both hands met, he bowed respectfully, "I am Raiden, Shinto God of Thunder."

Nero clenched Devil Bringer tightly at the sound of another god, given his experience with the Greeks, but a part of him said to hear the guy out.

"Okay, _Raiden_," spoke up Nero, saying the god's name harshly, "The hell are you doing here? Don't gods have other responsibilities?"

"Under normal circumstances, that would be true," replied the deity evenly, not even a tad bit offended when the hunter addressed him, "but I am here on behalf of the Shinto Pantheon."

"Didn't answer my question," retorted Nero sharply, "What are you doing here?"

The deity looked at the young man with a neutral expression before speaking.

"To help you save the world from the Demon King."

_**To Be Continued...**_


	2. Chapter 2 Lightning's Foresight

_**Devil May Cry: Slayer's Return**_

_**Chapter 2: Lightning's Foresight**_

_**Lowell Manor, Wisconsin, USA**_

Everyone was silent for the longest time, or what felt like the longest time as Nero held his focus with the newly revealed Raiden, God of Thunder. It went without saying that the others were on guard, Patty keeping close to Dante just in case things go badly. In all honesty, the hunters were on edge due to the less than stellar experience they had with the Greeks and despite being from a different pantheon, cation was obviously on their minds. However, it seemed that violence might not be the case as Raiden held out his hands in a placating gesture.

"There is no need for hostility," began the Shinto deity, "I am here not as an enemy, but as an ally."

"Don't take this the wrong way, Ray," drawled Nero as he folded his arms, "but I've hung around gods before; wasn't fun then. Gave my experience a one-star on Yelp."

"Lord Raiden is not like the Greek Pantheon," spoke up the girl for the first time in fluent English, stepping forward to Nero, the hunter meeting her gaze for a second.

"No, he is correct, Saeko," interjected the thunder god, "Claims are hollow without proof to validate them. He is wise to be cautious given the circumstances that transpired a fortnight ago."

Now that got the attention of the hunters. Something happened that they didn't know about, granted, they didn't have instant access to the underworld and all its connections. Morrison was good, but not a miracle worker, so it wasn't a total surprise to them that something happened recently.

"Something happened two weeks back?" interrupted Dante, narrowing his eyes carefully at the deity, "What exactly?"

Saeko glanced at Raiden for a moment, receiving a nod to inform. Taking a breath, the Japanese girl began to explain what transpired that day.

"About two weeks prior, a massive wave of energy swept across Japan, affecting any and all mystical beings throughout the country," the purple-haired girl then went into further detail, "Those that were affected reported feeling a seemingly endless feeling of dread, despair, anguish, rage, and sorrow; as if a dark shadow is looming over the entire planet."

Nero, Dante, Trish, and Lady all glanced at each other. The timing was way too good.

"That's the day Excelsus opened a gateway into the Demon World and attacked the Camp," noted Lady.

"But the gate was closed," reminded Trish, bringing up the moment when Nero closed the breach with Yamato.

"Not before it blew up in my face," countered Nero, folding his arms, "Guess that blast did more than just knock out the Olympians."

"Indeed it did," nodded Raiden. Reaching for his belt, he dipped his fingers into a small pocket and withdrew a golden medallion. It was shaped into a sort of trapezoid, a light blue crystal located directly in the center of the piece, "The explosion of which you speak was the source of the energy wave."

A hologram of the Earth was displayed, glowing blue while a single red dot was located right on top of Montauk Island. From the dot, a red wave burst out, crossing the entire planet rapidly.

"Not just affecting one collection of gods, but all of them," concluded the Shinto deity, "In short, the situation is direr than just the fate of one pantheon."

Dante scoffed as he folded his arms, "So the big bad used the kid to send out his calling card all at once instead of going one by one."

"It is likely that was what this demon you call Excelsus originally intended," concurred Raiden, glancing at Nero, "He had not planned for such a response from the four of you in his initial attack."

"And changed tactics to compensate and save himself some trouble," spoke up Morrison for the first time since Raiden and Saeko made their arrival.

"That is what we believe," stated Saeko.

"So I was an accessory to _his_ success," stated Nero in a riled tone, "Fucking great."

No one had anything to say otherwise beyond 'you didn't know so it wasn't your fault', but those sort of things hardly work for people like Nero. Once they hear that their actions may have played a part in creating a problem, they take it personally.

"But what are you doing here?" asked Patty suddenly, bringing Raiden's attention to the sixteen-year-old girl, "Y-you're not here to just exchange stories with us."

"That is indeed true," nodded the god of thunder, "In fact, as I stated before, I am here to offer assistance."

While Trish, Dante, and Lady exchanged glances and silent messages, Nero was the first one to call out the deity's offer.

"Not to sound rude, but the gods I've encountered always want some sort of exchange for help," scoffed the silver-haired hunter, "Former myths don't normally offer without wanting something in return, so what is it that Raiden, God of Thunder, wants?"

Saeko narrowed her eyes at the hunter, not appreciating his tone. Before she could reprimand him for disrespecting a being as noble as him, Raiden placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. The purple-haired warrior looked back at Raiden, noticing he wasn't even slightly offended.

"You do not trust others so easily, Nero," noted the Thunder God, "A trait found in most demon hunters. A good trait to have to be certain that you are not being used by potential threats and demons."

"Yeah?" huffed Nero, "What of it?"

"You still view me in the same light as your own family, the Olympians," continued Raiden, causing the hunter to visibly flinch if barely, "But know, that I am not Zeus or any of his children and siblings."

Nero was silent for a moment, staring at the being with some minor contempt.

"How'd you know that I was one of theirs?" he demanded slowly.

"While we do not interfere with another pantheon's affairs under the strictest of laws, that is not to say we cannot observe each other," explained Raiden, "And if the situation is dire enough, step in and lend aid should it be required."

"So you were spying on the Greeks and were ready to step in in case one of them did something stupid enough to endanger not just themselves but every pantheon in the world?" asked Dante's nephew skeptically.

"Would you leave someone like Zeus without any supervision?" retorted Raiden dry, his expression shifting just slightly to give off a deadpan. Nero opened his mouth to counter however he then closed as he nodded his head to the side; Dante, Trish, and the other's doing the same.

"Fair point," shrugged the young adult before his expression hardened again, "Still, didn't answer my question."

Raiden let out a sigh as he brought his hands behind his back and inclined his head down slightly, "Because we need the assistance of Sparda's line and anyone soul willing to fight the coming battles."

"Gotta agree with Raiden here, kid," sided Dante, catching the other members of Devil May Cry by surprise, "Yeah, didn't think I'd be agreeing with a god either, but you know as well as I do that Excelsus isn't through with us yet."

"Indeed," nodded Raiden, "and that is why I am offering aid to you."

"Is that why she's here?" Nero nodded to Saeko, "Is she your stand-in while you head back home?"

"It is true, I cannot linger here for very long," sighed the god, "And that is why Saeko agreed to act as my proxy so that I may return home and address local matters and threats."

"'Threats'?" repeated Trish.

"Ever since the wave swept across the entire planet, monsters from each religion have grown progressively more violent," supplied Saeko, she folded her arms, pushing up her bust slightly, "The attacks have grown more frequent in the last week compared to the last five years."

"No doubt Excelsus' handiwork," stated Morrison, rubbing his jaw in thought, "My guess is that wave was made of pure demonic energy and is affecting the magic that comprises the monsters from the other pantheons."

Everyone looked at the aging man slightly surprised, even Raiden was impressed, his eyebrow-raising up slightly.

"Just because I don't normally hunt down demons and put my life on the line as you all do, I still know a thing or two about how to reason things out and make good guesses," defended Morrison, putting his fedora on.

"I must warn you, however," spoke up Raiden, getting over his surprise, "It is unlikely that Zeus is willing to listen to reason given what I can only imagine transpired in Camp Half-Blood."

"We all known he's still after us," sighed Trish, folding her arms.

"So what, do we just wait for Excelsus to make his next move?" asked Nero holding his arms out.

"No, we must build our forces and prepare for the coming war," stated Saeko stoically.

"In case you hadn't noticed, we're a little short on hands," reminded the youngest heir of Sparda, "And it's not like Dante has some friends who owe him some favors or anything on an island."

Raiden narrowed his eyes carefully, noting that particular detail which Nero brought up, "And even then, it's not likely she'll help us. Not to mention, if she did agree to help, along with a few others, can't exactly build an army with Zeus and Artemis looking for us."

"Besides, there's only one place we could build an army," stated the hunter disdainfully as he closed his eyes and clenched Devil Bringer tightly into a fist. The azure glow that came from the appendage becoming slightly brighter. Dante, Lady, and Trish immediately knew what Nero was referring to, or rather the place he was speaking of.

"The kid's got a point," agreed Dante, folding his arms, "This is a real head-scratcher, huh?"

"Perhaps not as much as you believe," disagreed Raiden as he stepped towards Nero, the hunter tensing slightly as he took a step back so his left shoulder was facing the deity. He flexed Devil Bringer's fingers briefly as he narrowed his eyes at the being before him, "What made you focus on those specific details, Nero?"

"Gonna have to be a little more clear, buddy," stated Nero carefully, his eyes still narrowed.

"When Saeko and myself first arrived you did not appear threatened in the traditional sense," elaborated the Shinto god, as Nero stepped around the desk that stood between them, "A part of you knew this meeting was coming."

"What the hell are you talking about?" demanded the hunter, confused and on edge. Just what was this guy after.

"You have not been sleeping well have you, Nero?" asked Raiden genuinely, causing the hunter to lower his guard slightly but remain on edge just in case. Dante and the others glanced at one another briefly. How the hell did this guy know Nero hadn't been sleeping well? Even Patty was surprised by this revelation.

"How'd you know he hasn't been sleeping well?" she asked, worried more for Nero at this point then about Raiden himself.

"Aside from the signs of sleep deprivation on his face, it was the details he listed that piqued my curiosity," elaborated the god, glancing between the young blonde and the silver-haired hunter, "The clarity of which he supplied them garnered my attention, and a known fact about almost all children of the Olympians."

"And that would be?" asked Dante, narrowing his eyes slightly as to what this deity might be implying.

"All the demigods of the Greek Pantheon share a connection to the Fates," answered Raiden, getting the attention of the hunters, Nero especially, "In short, it is with this connection that allows the demigods to glimpse into the future in the form of dreams thanks to Morpheus, the god of dreams, and in conjunction with the Fates who control all life and death within the Greek Pantheon."

"So you think Nero's been peaking into the future which let him list those specific details?" rationalized Trish.

"I suspected," corrected Raiden, "Since Nero is also a demon, there was no telling how the connecting might have been affected."

"Yeah, well I think my hook up's bugged," stated the hunter sarcastically, folding his arms and looking away, "I only get pieces of the near future and it isn't fun for me when I do."

Sure enough, every single time he had one of these visions, he felt like his mind was being torn three different ways. One which tried to follow the vision, another which tried to outright disobey the vision, and the last which tried to find a middle ground between the two. Safe to say, he'd rather be impaled by one of Agnus' flying swords again then go through that hell all over.

"Perhaps, I can be of some assistance," offered Raiden, catching Nero's attention, the hunter looking at the deity from the corner of his eye, "If you will permit access, I can help you assemble the vision and making it whole, and allow you to see the vision with more clarity."

"You said that Morpho and the three fs are what behind these visions due to my 'godly connection,'" he threw in some air quotes when he said that last part, "Can't you just sever the link?"

"I'm afraid it is not as simple as that, Nero," sighed Saeko as she approached him, cupping her hands together, "For the link between you and the Fates to be broken, you must defy Fate itself."

That statement alone sobered Nero pretty quickly and turned to Raiden for some sort of confirmation.

"I'm afraid Saeko is correct, Nero," stated the God of Thunder, almost ruefully, "To stop the visions, you would have to face the very literal masters of the future. The Greek Fates have the power to change and alter one's destiny at any given time. Not even the Olympians are powerful enough to defy them. In essence, for the visions to stop, you must do something no other being in Greek history could do."

Nero let out a tired sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Should've guessed it would've been to easy."

"While I may not have the power to break your connection, I can at the very least disrupt the link and hold off any visions for a short period," offered Raiden.

"Guess something is better than nothing at all," sighed the hunter in a tired fashion. It wasn't a perfect solution, but then again, he hasn't exactly lived a perfect life so what should he have expected?

"Woah, Woah, hold on a second," interjected Dante stepping into the center of the room, putting himself between Nero and Raiden, "As much as I would love to have a peek at what's happening tomorrow, are you a hundred percent sure you can make good on your promise?"

"I have performed similar acts multiple times on average mortals with no lingering side effects," stated the Shinto god, "Often to help clear their minds and organize thoughts. I am fully able to aid Nero."

"In case you forgot, the kid's not just human," pointed out Lady, agreeing with Dante, "What if the second you try getting in you fry his brain because he's part demon or god?"

"The Greek Gods are comprised of earthly materials and when in human form, behave the same way," answered Raiden evenly, "His godly makeup will not impede my efforts."

"And the demonic part?" challenged the human demon hunter.

"That may be more difficult," relented Raiden.

It wasn't very comforting for the youngest hunter to hear that a deity will get into some trouble thanks to his demonic half. However, there wasn't exactly that much they could do right now, especially since they have a timetable to keep, with Excelsus building his army of demons and Zeus hunting them down like animals. They couldn't afford any setbacks, especially what was on the line should the Demon King make his move before their ready.

Not to mention, he's willing to take the risk if it meant he could sleep somewhat soundly.

"But it's not like we have much choice, huh?" spoke up Nero, drawing attention to himself, his arms hanging by his sides while his eyes were shut for a second, "You say we have a timetable?"

"That is correct," answered Raiden, "As we speak, this Excelsus builds his army while ours struggle to contain the rampaging monsters."

"Then there's nothing to talk about," stated the silver-haired devil hunter.

Trish's eyes widened, as did Lady's while Patty gasped in surprise. Morrison and Dante were the most composed out of them all, but it was clear they weren't comfortable with the decision. If something went wrong, things could go very badly.

"Nero, are you sure about this?" asked Trish, coming over to his side and gently grasping his left shoulder.

Glancing at the lightning demoness, he turned to face to the others, meeting their gazes for a second before ending with Raiden who had a steadfast expression.

"If I'm being honest, then I can't say I'm sure about anything ever since getting dragged to that fucking camp," began Nero as he walked over to the desk and rested his hands on the edge, "I find out who my mother is, that I'm a goddess's kid, and a demon punked me into helping him bust out of the Demon World so he could likely commit mass genocide when he takes over, and there are only so many people that can stop him. I gotta take that chance, if not for anyone's sake, then for _her's_."

When he finished his sentence, he rested Devil Bringer right up against his chest, feeling his necklace right where it should be. The hunters, Patty, and Morrison knew that Nero was referring to Kyrie and now understood why he was willing to take the chance.

"I have to try," finalized Nero before turning to Raiden who looked at him with a little bit of honor. Even Saeko was a bit moved by his words as she held her hands against her chest, a small smile gracing her lips.

"So, we gonna stand here all day?" demanded the hunter confidently.

* * *

_A minute later..._

Nero was now laying on his back on top of the desk, the tray having been moved to make room for him as he took his position. Just to be safe, he removed as much metal as possible, including his jacket, holster, rings, stitched sweater, however, he refused to remove the necklace. His reasoning being 'if he can take being impaled, he can take a little shock.'

"So," started Nero as Raiden stood close to his head, his eyes closed and head bowed forward, giving the impression he was meditating, "This gonna hurt much?"

"The process should be free of any discomfort," responded Raiden as his eyes opened, electricity jumping from them as they glowed bright blue.

"Well then, yippie ki-yay," snorted Nero as he braced himself and closed his eyes.

Raiden lowered both his hands so that they were on either side of Nero's head. His entire hands started crackling with electricity and even up part of his forearms. The god's eyes began glowing slightly brighter as he focused his power. Suddenly, electricity jumped from his palms onto Nero's temple, the hunter's expression wincing as clenched his left hand. A groan of discomfort slipped out of his mouth as he accidentally jammed Devil Bringer's claws into the wooden surface of the table he was on. While it looked like it hurt, the hunter only felt a small sting. It was what was going on inside his mind that was important.

* * *

_Nero's Mindscape..._

_Unlike last time where the visions appeared at random points and sent a wave of agony through his mind, this was only a dull ache. The mist no longer covered the entire area; instead, thanks to Raiden's efforts, a glowing blue path was illuminated for Nero to follow. There was still mist on either side of the pathway, but it didn't matter now that he had a defined destination._

_"Raiden, you're a miracle worker," muttered Nero to himself as he made his way down the path and sure enough some images began to appear._

_The first part of the now cleaned and defined vision was the island off the coast of the Americas. The figures didn't appear like last time, only windows formed, but there were some minor changes. The demon now saw himself, along with Dante, Lady, Trish, and Saeko using a boat to get to the island. The image flashed and was then replaced by the elderly woman and the redhead Nero had seen before. Dante looked like he was doing the talking, addressing the elderly woman when she suddenly swatted his right, making him rub his arm and glare at her in annoyance._

_Nero snorted to himself, deciding that he liked this lady. However, it was clear that despite hitting Dante, she was going to help. The redhead stepped forward and placed her right hand over her heart. The young adult could guess she was volunteering to go with them while he assumed other's would soon follow._

_The window then vanished, another appearing a few yards ahead. Making his way to that one, the window lit up before fading and showing the next series of events. However, what he saw made him clench Devil Bringer tightly into a fist. It was him and Ares, taking each other head-on in what he guessed was Miami. Future __Nero hacked and slashed at Ares, forcing the god back. His future self suddenly kicked the god in the stomach, sending his cousin flying back where he crashed into a car. The hunter rested his weapon on his shoulder while the god of war glared hatefully at him._

_The window glowed again and revealed a new glimpse of the future and what he saw seriously surprised him. Looking through the window, Nero saw Apollo shooting arrow after arrow at Saeko, but the young woman easily deflected the arrows with her sword. Focusing on the weapon, it was clear it was no ordinary blade; what made him certain was that the sword itself was glowing. It appeared to have the same eastern style of swords, similar to katanas used by Japan. Aside from the glowing blade, a few Japanese characters were etched into the side of the sword. It was when Saeko closed the gap between them did she perform a surprise tornado kick and slammed her boot right into Apollo's face, knocking him off his feet and onto his back several feet away. Saeko, meanwhile backflipped to her feet, using her hands to push herself off the ground. _

_Apollo said something, though Nero couldn't hear it, was likely an insult. Drawing his bowstring back, he fired another arrow at Saeko. Instead of dodging, the Japanese girl reversed her grip of the sword and sliced the arrow clean in half!_

_"Woah," breathed Nero in surprise, pretty impressed with the way she handled herself in a fight. The window then faded away and another appeared ahead._

_Getting to that window as it was glowing, it revealed another scene. First, it showed both his future and Saeko ducking into a nightclub named Lux to avoid a police car that flew by. Inside the bar, the two were almost immediately approached by a man Nero had seen in his previous visions, more than likely the owner of the club. However, something just completely rubbed him the wrong way about that guy. The future pair were lead by the owner towards the main bar, but along the way, he got a good idea as to what kind of crowd frequented this establishment._

_Seated near a corner of the club was an African American man dressed in a fashion similar to cowboys you see in western movies. His hat was tipped down, hiding his face, that was until he pushed the brim of his hat up and revealed the left half of his face. The left half appeared to made of burning embers as smoke wafted off his body. The man straightened himself out, revealing his left arm which, in a similar fashion to the left half of his face, appeared to be made of charcoal. Jutting out of his left limb were two large curved spikes. The man's arm reminded him of his demonic appendage, Devil Bringer. _

_Seated at the bar was an incredibly voluptuous woman, wearing light silver armor on both her arms and shoulders, leather gloves covered her hands, while a specially made bustier covered her large breasts but exposed her cleavage and her belly. The woman also wore tight, form-fitting leather pants and a pair of straps rose of the waistband, and Nero could only guess what that was. Along with high heel boots, the lady carried dozens of knives on her person ranging from her thighs to multiple hidden places. Her largest weapons were a pair of silver curved machetes that had intricate patterns carved into the side of the blades. The blades were sheathed across her back in a way that didn't impede her movement at all. Despite all the weaponry, he couldn't help but notice she was kinda similar to the previous redhead, not just because her actual hair was roughly the same shade of red, if only brighter, but the way they built themselves. Focusing on speed and maneuverability than strength and defense. The woman turned to look at his future self, a seductive smile graced her lips as her emerald eyes met his baby blue ones. The woman then blew him a kiss that nearly caused his future self to stumble, though he stumbled regardless when Saeko grabbed his right arm and yanked him along._

_"Okay," noted Nero but decided not to think too much into it._

_Following the man further, the passed someone that nearly made Nero pause himself._

_A tank of a man sat in a both that had more than a few slashes in it, so he guessed that 'his spot' in the bar. The man wore armored pants along with leather straps and fur, giving him a sort of Viking-esque appearance. The man had disheveled black hair and facial hair cut into a goatee. He was no doubt larger than any normal person, then again this guy was far from normal like the first. The man's entire right arm was replaced with a colossal blade that hade multiple points where the weapon could hook onto the victim and threw them aside assuming they weren't cut in half first. Traveling up the sword, a sort of dragon-like mouth bit down onto the sword right at the guard. The reptilian skin had grown over the man's arm while a tail wrapped around both his shoulders. A few spikes rose from the shoulder and some sparks could be seen fluttering off the blade and reptilian scales._

_There was no doubt in Nero's mind about who the people were that frequented this nightclub. They were all Devil Hunters._

_The nightclub owner led both future versions of himself and Saeko into his office where he sat down at a large desk and immediately leaned back in the chair and kicked his feet up onto the desk. It looked like he, Saeko, and the man talked for several minutes before the man lost his charming grin and adopted a more serious expression. He and Saeko continued to explain to the man who took his feet off the table and leaned forward, cupping his chin in his right hand, closing his eyes for a moment as if thinking._

_The window faded away once more and another appeared further ahead. Heading over to that one, the sight almost made Nero freeze in his tracks. There, presented to him through the window was his first home and the home of Kyrie and Credo before their deaths._

_Fortuna._

_A boat had pulled into the small harbor that served as the only avenue of commerce that came from outside the island. Both future versions of himself and Saeko disembark from the ship and onto the island. Once back on the stone dock, the future Nero seemed to freeze in place looking at what used to be his home a year and a half ago before..._

_"No, can't think about that right now," Nero snapped at himself, a memory threatening to reemerge, one he fought long and hard to forget would not remember._

_Returning his focus to the window once more, he saw Saeko place a hand on his left shoulder, prompting him to look back and see the reassuring smile she gave him. Letting him know everything was going to be alright. His feature self returned the smile and started towards the town of Fortuna. Nero's breath began speeding up as if anticipating something terrible, but it didn't come as the window glowed before the scene was replaced yet again. This time, the scene was not as nice._

_His future self and Saeko appeared to have surrounded by several dozen Holy Knights, but that was impossible, the Order fell as soon as Agnus's crazy plan failed and the Savior destroyed. His surprise then faded as he noticed these weren't the same Holy Knights because of their red clothing. Knights of the Order were expected to wear white uniforms to display their purity and devotion to the Order of the Sword. It was clear that these knights took inspiration from the fallen order because of the similar design. The only real change was the palate swap from white and gold to red and silver. _

_Suddenly, the knights stepped aside to allow one individual passage to the ring where his future self and Saeko stood. The second he saw who it was, he couldn't believe his eyes._

_Standing before them was a beautiful blonde-haired young woman with her hair tied in long twin-tails and blue eyes, as well as a voluptuous figure. She wore a similar outfit to the knights around her while a sword was sheathed by her left side. She had a fair skin tone and looked to be slightly younger than himself. The young woman had a somewhat annoyed glare directed right at his future self, but it was well hidden under a neutral mask._

_"Are you fucking kidding me?" gaped Nero as he laid eyes on Claire Harvey, the second-in-command of the Holy Knights when the Order still existed. Before the fall, Claire was very loyal to the Knights but had a pretty big crush on Credo before he died at the hands of Sanctus. When she found out that it was Sanctus who killed him, it hit her pretty hard. During his time in Fortuna, Kyrie tried reaching out to her but nothing ever worked. Nero suspected that a part of her blamed him for Credo's death, and honestly, he felt the same way. But to see her like this was something else, he honestly didn't think she'd ever pick up the sword again after Credo died._

_The window suddenly vanished and the light from the pathway started to fade._

_"Shit, not now!" swore Nero as he looked around frantically until he spotted what he assumed was the last window, further away than any of the others._

_Bolting right towards the window, he reached out and touched it, unlike the previous times where the window just lit up on its own. The window burst to light, forcing Nero to shield his eyes for a second before it began to dim. Once the light faded enough, he looked at the last window. Within was himself but only himself, heading towards the abandoned Headquarters of the Order. _

_"Why am I alone?" he asked himself, gripping Devil Bringer by the wrist with his left hand. _

_Deciding to put it aside for now, Nero watched himself enter the ruins and head down deep into the levels beneath the semi-destroyed remains of the Order. He watched as the future version passed through the same hallways he saw in his previous vision. Passing rubble, dust, and the occasional puddle of water. Not entirely certain how much time had passed or how long the future version was walking, Nero cocked an eyebrow when he saw himself freeze for a second. A massive orange light erupted behind him, forcing the Nero in the window to dive out of the way to avoid a massive fireball that slammed into the stone wall. The future version quickly unsheathed Red Queen and readied himself just in time to see the Red Angelo appear. It emerged from the shadows, it's burning sword giving it an eerie appearance._

_The window then flashed again, replacing the image to a new one. Suddenly, electricity began to flicker through the mist around him._

_"Almost out of time," he muttered and directed his attention to the window. Entering the giant chamber was himself, fiddling with something on his left wrist. Satisfied, he watched himself approach the massive machine, heading right for the platform that was in line with the small archway. Nero watching himself hold__ out Devil Bringer and summon Yamato. The future took a moment to gaze at the blade, staring at his reflection for a few seconds before he flipped the sword around and plunged into the center of the platform. Taking a step back, the Devil Arm started pulsing while energy began to flow through the floor towards the device where patterns started to light up. Parts of the machine suddenly started rotating rapidly, then a wide beam of azure energy shot right into the ceiling, causing some debris, rocks, and dust to fall._

_The future version of himself stepped back and looked down at the device on his left arm had activated and a timer had begun counting down from six hours._

_"What the hell am I doing?" demanded Nero as the electricity around him started becoming more and more unstable and a powerful suction starting pulling him away from the window, "No! I need to know why!"_

_Hanging on with all his might, Nero heard one single sentence that made his heart almost stop._

_"He can't fight him alone."_

* * *

Back in the real world, Raiden had finally stopped after five minutes of holding a fractured connection to fate in one piece. The Shinto God removed his hands from the sides of Nero's head and the buzzing of electricity stopped as well.

"Did it work?" asked Trish almost immediately by Nero side. She saw him as her younger brother and she didn't want to lose him because of some stupid idea he had.

"I did all that I could, but his connection to fate is... intriguingly complex," replied the deity.

"Is he alright, is what she means," interjected Dante, but right at that moment, Nero let out a groan as he sat up.

"Nero!" gasped Patty as she rushed over to him, grabbing his left arm to hung, "You're okay!"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he groaned, holding his head as Patty let him go, "Feel like I just watched a ten-hour documentary."

"That should go away within a few moments," advised Raiden, "Now then, what did you uncover, Nero?"

"Essentially," replied the hunter as he swung his legs off the desk and got right on his feet. Once he had ground underneath him, he made a bee-line for the doors, "We've got work to do."

_**To Be Continued...**_

_**And here we are, chapter 2 is all done to the best of my ability. I know it's much sooner than I told you, but don't expect it all the time.**_


	3. Chapter 3 Building Pressure Part 1

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing. Capcom owns Devil May Cry, Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson, etc._**

* * *

**_Devil May Cry: Slayer's Return_**

**_ Chapter 3: Building Pressure Part 1_**

**_The Caribbean Sea, Off the Coast of the Americas_**

Nero's eyes slowly opened as the smell of salt water filled his nose and the lapping of waves filled his ears. The hunter let out a tired groan as he sat up from the bed he was using during their voyage. Upon sitting up, he felt something jingle against his chest. Reaching inside of his undershirt's collar, he lifted out something, and his face instantly softened. In his right hand was the necklace he gave Kyrie that fateful day.

Looking at the necklace longingly, he sighed as he put it back underneath his undershirt and decided to get himself dressed. Upon getting dressed, he glanced at Red Queen's case and decided to quickly open it up and see if any seawater had gotten through the fabric. To his relief, none had. Taking the mighty weapon, he sheathed it across his back. In the room he was using, there was a small counter where Blue Rose rested.

Taking the silver firearm, he twirled it on his finger and put it in his holster.

Noticing that nobody was inside, he decided to head for the deck outside, and see where they were. He walked through the door and emerged onto the deck of Lady's ship. It was a white charter boat, with Lady steering the boat on the top. Trish, wearing her black shades again, was leaning against the side railing, and he decided to approach her.

"Hey, Trish," he greeted. The blond woman glanced over at the young man and smiled at him, "How far out are we?"

She shrugged, "Don't know. But we should be getting closer to Vie de Marli, or from what Dante has told us. We should arrive in an hour or two."

"Good to hear," replied the youngest hunter, he then glanced around when he noticed that someone was missing, "Any idea where our friend is?"

"She might still be asleep," shrugged Trish, however, a small smile graced her lips, "Worried about her wellbeing, Nero?"

"Worried that she might slow us down," snorted Nero, though he didn't mean it completely, he saw how she handled herself in his vision and he could guess that she was more than able to hold her own, but that still didn't excuse the fact that they had an extra body to worry about, "Given what's at stake."

"Right," sighed the electric demoness. A few moments of silence passed between them, not an uncomfortable silence just, words weren't needed presently.

"Remind me again, why _Lord_ Raiden couldn't just zap us to the island like how he got to the manor with his stand-in?" complained the hunter, "I like the ocean as much as it's god likes me."

Trish giggled at his dramatic behavior.

"Because the island Vie de Marli has unique properties established thousands of years ago," interjected a voice from behind them. Both Nero and Trish turned around to see there plus one, however, Nero's eyes widened ever so slightly.

Saeko Busujima as they had been introduced by Raiden stood before them. She wore an untucked white blouse, a green untied tie hung loosely around the collar. The collar was flipped up with the top two buttons were undone, exposing her cleavage. The cuffs were rolled up to her elbows. She also wore black pants that were tucked into knee-high lace leather heeled boots. A green belt was strapped around her waist with and was connected to a special harness that wrapped around her left thigh and attached to it was her sword. On the back of her belt was a holster that carried what Nero could guess was a Desert Eagle with Silver Sliver slide and black grip. The Japanese girl's hair flowed through the sea breeze as she approached the two.

"Due to these properties, it makes the island near invisible to eyes of gods," continued Saeko, "also, using that much power could draw the attention of the Greek Gods to the Lowell's home."

"From what he told us, he took a big risk even coming to the U.S.," added Trish as she took off her sunglasses.

"Yes," nodded the purple-haired girl, "The Greek Pantheon's hold on the country is strong. The other gods have tolerated their domain over the country for the moment, but with recent events, that may change."

Trish nodded, given what happened, it would come as a surprise if the other gods _didn't_ do anything about the Greeks.

"If you will excuse me, I'm going to speak with Lady," stated Saeko.

Trish nodded as the young woman before glancing over to Nero to see him watching her leave.

"See something you like, Nero?" teased Trish as she playfully shoved the younger hunter. This jolted him out of his daze and glared at her.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded indignantly.

"Come on, you like her," she elaborated, smiling when she saw him roll his eyes.

"I'm going to find Dante," he evaded and left the demoness.

"They say denial is the first step," continued Trish as she watched him leave. Nero grumbled about something while he walked away. The blonde smiled, seeing Dante's nephew come to terms, or at the very least start to come to terms with what back then. Maybe, this new girl can help him through and convince him that Kyrie's death wasn't his fault in any way at all. However, she could only hope they take one step at a time. Kyrie had been everything for Nero, his entire world. Trish didn't doubt for a minute that Nero loved her to a fault. She changed his life, gave him a sense of hope when there was no one else around him when he was growing up.

The blonde woman let out a sigh as she turned back to the railing to lean on it once more, looking out across the water. She would admit, she loved Nero as if he was her family, her little brother. When he lost Kyrie, Trish closed her eyes as the memory of that awful day came back.

_'I have never seen anyone so broken,'_ she thought to herself, not even some clients she and the others were hired by looked so defeated and sad.

When Nero lost Kyrie, he broke; but now there was a chance to mend the pieces. Trish glanced over her shoulder to the wheelhouse to see Saeko speaking with Lady. It went without saying that Nero didn't tell them everything he saw in his little daydream, but she had a hunch it had something to do with their most recent addition. Ever since that day, Nero has never really been himself, so maybe Saeko could help him back to what he once was.

"One step at a time, Trish," she muttered to herself, realizing she was thinking way too ahead of herself. She needs to focus on the here and now, and at the moment, they were playing a very dangerous game, traveling through the ocean since flying would be way too dangerous given Zeus is gunning for them and it was possibly easier to get by Poseidon. It was a big risk, but it might be easier to fight off a god of the ocean than the sky, but she shouldn't just rely on faith, especially with how she felt before boarding the boat Lady got them.

In order to help as much as he could, Raiden transported them to one of the major cities of Florida, Miami specifically. The Shinto deity also sent Nero's van with them because it is unlikely that he would be able to return any time soon with monster uprisings popping up everywhere in Japan. So to avoid wasting time, Nero's van was brought along. After finding a parking lot that allowed long term parking, the group got a boat and started their journey, however, it was when they shoved off from the dock did she get a bad feeling, like an omen.

She didn't know what it was for, but a part of her said that she should be careful and not because of Poseidon and the Greek Pantheon hunting them down, but because of something else. The strangest part was that this warning wasn't just for them, but for the gods as well.

As if they were being watched and not by deities, but by something else.

* * *

_**Mallet Island, South Pacific**_

Mallet Island, a small mass of land located in the middle of the ocean, far from any major landmass. Hundreds of stories surround this eerie dot in the ocean, some more recent than others, and some dating back long before proper governments were formed. But the most legendary of all the stories was when the son of Sparda, Dante, prevented Mundus from escaping the Demon World and ending his reign. It was with his defeat that Mallet Island collapsed beneath the waves into the ocean, but that was history and this is the present.

The once sunken island had risen once more, thanks to the Demon Emperor's son, Excelsus. The castle that had dominated nearly ninety percent of the island was ruined. Parts were restored thanks to Excelsus' power, but the new ruler of the Demon World valued functionality over comfort and only made repairs if necessary.

Across the island, hundreds, perhaps thousands of demons prowled across the rocky terrain. Ranging from lessers to elites and high-class demons. The number of beasts was staggering but there were a few who stood out from the rest. It was clear that the previous demon king's son was intent on claiming this world for all demonkind, and a base of operation was obviously in demand, and what better place to build one's forces then on an island forged by demonic kind, especially since the only people to ever visit the island and leave alive believes it to be destroyed.

Within the ancient castle, Excelsus was seated in a stone throne, the interior appears to have seen better days. Likely, before the island crumbled to the bottom of the ocean. He had actually assumed a human form, something that no other Demon King had done since the only other Demon King was Mundus and he wasn't around anymore. Despite assuming this form, he still held some traits of his original form, like his armor was almost a copy of his actual body, the only difference know was what used to be his crown now served as a helmet which he had removed and was resting on the right armrest.

His facial features now exposed, one could get a clean look at his face and in all honesty, he didn't look anything like what you might think a Demon Lord would. He had a rather handsome face, a small stubble lining his jawline and chin was neatly trimmed. He had grayish hair that reached down to his shoulders, but despite the color, he looked incredibly young, no more than thirty years old at most and twenty-five years at least. Behind him, his great wings were closed slightly, faintly pulsing with energy. The King of the Demon World was leaning back in the throne with his eyes closed. Standing by his side were his two most trusted lieutenants. On his left was Valfalk in his human form, his silver armor reflecting the rays of light that broke through the ceiling. Among the Devils that passed through the portal into the Human World, he was the one that embodied the sin of pride. On Excelsus's right was a very voluptuous woman wearing some very revealing armor, if it could be called that at all.

She was wearing gunmetal grey braces on both her forearms, outlined with light blue and hints of purple. Her shoulders and upper arms were exposed, revealing her cream-colored skin. A gray breastplate hugged her waist and actually raised her generous bust slightly. At the center of the plate was a golden plate that had a unique symbol on it. The symbol appeared similar to the yin and yang, except the curve that went through the circle went horizontally and not vertically, and was missing the eyes for Yin and Yang and was colored purple.

A very small and thin black piece of cloth covered her nether regions, if only barely, and just came over her hips. Dark grey armored leggings hugged her thighs, and shins while golden knee pads covered her knees and were accented with the color violet. She also wore grey high heels with golden accents.

Looking at this woman's facial features and just calling this woman beautiful wouldn't even begin to do her any justice. She had flawless cream skin as if an angel had sculpted her. Lilac eyes gazed fondly at her king while her lilac hair cascaded down her back reaching her waist while two long bangs flowed down and tickled the top of her cleavage. Around her neck was a purple victorian lace choker, with intricate patterns and a small amethyst gemstone attached. Following the theme of her armor, she wore a sort of small crown, a tiara, that framed her face with two extensions stretching down past her cheeks. In the center were three golden jewels.

Aside from her stunning beauty, the second most prominent feature of this woman was what was behind her. Jutting out of her back were six spider-like legs that were currently hugging her body. Two legs cupped her hips and rested within her inner thighs, while the four others situated themselves on top of her bust, the tips reaching into her cleavage, and on top her shoulders.

This was Nerscylla, the demoness that represented the sin of Lust. The demoness was currently sitting on the armrest of Excelsus' throne, gently resting her hands on his body, tracing his armor and caressing her master's physique.

"If I may be honest, my lord; I did not think it was possible that we were able to escape the Demon World," spoke the demon of lust, her tone silky and sensual, "that we could finally see the land that was promised to us so long ago, but denied at the last moment."

"And yet, here we are," interjected Valfalk from the right, gaining Nerscylla's attention. The purple-haired demoness giggled seductively, however, the demon it was directed at only snorted, "I would have more faith in our master, Nerscylla."

"Don't be so uptight, my dear, Valfalk," purred the spider-like woman, "Master knows that I am only joking."

Nerscylla then nuzzled herself into the crook of Excelsus' neck and gently nipped at his exposed skin. Valfalk only rolled his eyes and adjusted his sword's position at his belt before folding his arms.

"But I must ask, why can we not improve this?" whined the demoness, "Surely a grander palace is more fit for a ruler and conqueror."

"Because, my dear Nerscylla, we cannot allow ourselves to be blinded by pride and material possessions," spoke Excelsus, startling Nerscylla as she leaned back, a blush forming across her face as she looked down embarrassed. As opposed to when he observed Camp Half-Blood and the portal's closing, his voice sounded more human but still held such power that could make anyone bend the knee to him, "At the moment we are still weak, outnumbered, and continuing to build our forces."

The latest and second king of the demon world rose from his stone throne and stepped away, leaving his helm behind on the right armrest while he approached a broken window to look out onto the island and watch as more demons began to arrive, despite his eyes still closed. He could sense the presence of every single demon that came onto the island. The very island that was meant as the staging point for his father's triumphant arrival to the human world. Only to be foiled by the son of Sparda and a last-minute aid from that artificial construct which was inspired by Sparda's wife.

"In time, we will improve our new home and take what belongs to us from these _gods_ who squander about over petty rivalries and hurt feelings," Excelsus then turned back to face Nerscylla and he approached her, the demoness removing herself from her position on her throne stand before her master. In their human forms, Excelsus was just slightly taller than Nerscylla at six foot two inches, "Though I promise you, my dear," the demon king rested his hands on her shoulders, the demoness jumping slightly at the slightly cold touch of his gloves metal fingertips. Excelsus then opened his eyes and revealed his golden irises to her, "We will rebuild this castle, in memory of my father's dream to be free of that accursed place, and take our place as rulers of this world."

Nerscylla nodded, a blush forming once more, but not in embarrassment, but adoration, and some lust, for the one who helped her and the others escape. The two looked at each other for a moment, silently before the only other person present in the room coughed into his hand

"Not to rain on your little moment, master; but why exactly did you choose this ruined castle?" interrupted Valfalk, bringing Excelsus and Nerscylla out of their gaze at one another. The demoness glared at her king's right hand while Excelsus just gave him a look that said 'really?'

"For several reasons, Valfalk, though I shall provide you with the three I consider a priority," addressed Excelsus with a sigh, as he let go of Nerscylla and clasped his hands behind his back and headed back to the window, "For one, Mallet Island's natural properties shield from the eyes of the gods and goddesses of any pantheon, regardless of their domain happens to be the very seas which they reign over. For all the know, this island does not exist. A second reason is that, despite Dante and Trish knowing the location of the island, it is unlikely that they will conclude we have made this once great castle our stagging grounds, believing it to be destroyed upon their escape from my father when he failed to invade the Human World."

"And the third?" asked the silver demon. Excelsus smirked as he glanced between Valfalk and out the window to see the sun beginning to set.

"It has nice sunsets," stated the Demon King in a cheeky tone. Valfalk just rolled his eyes and let out a huff of exasperation while Nerscylla giggled into her hand. Despite being a Demon King, Excelsus was hardly a normal Devil and not just because he was the youngest son of Mundus, but because he knew something that gave humanity an edge, an edge that he will take upon himself in order to come out on top. He had every intention of achieving his goals and sometimes, unusual tactics had to be employed.

Suddenly, the doors to the throne room were opened, the three Devils turned to see one of their comrades enter, also in human form wearing hulking armor. Standing at about seven feet with incredibly dense plate armor, entered Nergigante, the Demon representing Wrath. Large spikes rose from black shoulder pauldrons, a helmet covered his entire face, leaving only small holes for his eyes to peer through. Those eyes glowed a bright orange. Rising up from the top of the helm were two large horns.

His chest armor boasted a muscular design and appeared to be comprised of black dragonic scales. Armored gauntlets were strapped to his forearms and were lined with dozens of spikes. A belt was strapped around his waist, a skull was used as the buckle while armor plating covered his legs and shins.

resting directly on top of his shoulders was a sort of leather cape that held a distinct resemblance to a dragon's wings.

"My Lord," growled Nergigante in a deep guttural voice as he fell to one knee, "I bring word, "We have discovered that the boy, Nero and his cohorts have left the Lowell's home and are currently heading to Vie de Marli."

"How long ago was this?" requested Excelsus, his tone shifting into stone.

"Approximately yesterday morning."

"There's no way they'd risk flying with Zeus gunning for them," spoke up Valfalk, stepping towards his master.

"Agreed," responded the Demon King, eyes narrowing slightly, "It appears other gods are assisting them."

"Indeed, the Shinto God known as Raiden assisted them," confirmed Nergigante.

"How was he able to come here without being noticed by the Greek pagans?" asked Nerscylla.

Excelsus hummed for a moment before coming to a conclusion, "They are still recovering from our initial exodus into Camp Half-Blood. They have not recovered completely during this time and are weak enough to allow deities to enter and leave the country freely."

"You think Nero is also making use of this window to get some help?" asked Valfalk.

"I would not put it past him but this sudden change of pace does complicate matters," theorized the Demon King as he cupped his chin with his left hand and began revising scenarios in his mind.

"How were we not informed sooner?" demanded the silver demon.

"Our surveyor got ambushed by some of that feminazis goddess's followers," answered Nergigante as he rose to his feet, "Barely escaped and able to return to deliver the message."

"We have no need for weakness," stated Valfalk, "dispose of that demon."

"Belay that order, Nergigante," interrupted Excelsus as he turned to Valfalk, surprising all three devils.

"But master, that surveyor failed to inform us sooner, would have-," started the demon representing pride but was cut off instantly.

"_Could have's, would have's, _and _should have's_, will not change what has already happened. A set back beyond that surveyor's control," stated Excelsus sharply causing Valfalk to bow his head in shame, "Eliminating that demon would serve no purpose beyond reducing our forces."

"But master-!" tried Valfalk, but was slammed against the wall, cracking the stone when Excelsus held his right hand out, his appendage bursting with energy.

_**"But nothing, Valfalk!"**_ Excelsus's tone becoming what it normally is in his demon form. His eyes blazing with power while he unfurled his massive wings, illuminating the entire room. The son of Mundus slowly approached his second while Nergigante stood at the side of the room with Nerscylla, though the two had very different reactions to their master's outburst.

For one, Nerscylla had a deep blush on her face while she gently bit her lower lip. Her hips swayed slightly as a deep sense of arousal flowed through her, watching her master punish his subordinate. Maybe he could give her the same treatment one day.

_**"Do not let your pride control you, Valfalk,"**_ stated Excelsus as he stood just two feet away from his follower, _**"Realize our situation. We are outnumbered, unprepared, and continuously building our forces. If we are to reign control of this world from the gods, then we must use every asset to our advantage. To that end, a set back is not a failure. I will not waste an asset because it was delayed by forces beyond its control and resulted in a minor delay to my agenda."**_

_**"I will take this world for demonic kind. I will succeed where my father failed. Meaning, I will not make 'his' mistake allow my own arrogance to blind me of the bigger picture,"**_ concluded Excelsus, letting Valfalk fall to the ground, coughing slightly as air rushed back into his lungs. The Demon King's power settling down slowly, "My father's mistake was assuming victory was already his when the battle was far from over and squandering resources because it inconvenienced him momentarily. I will not sacrifice an asset unless absolutely necessary."

Excelsus paused for a moment to allow his words to sink in for Valfalk before addressing him in a slightly more composed and calm tone, "I realize you embody pride, Valfalk, but do not let your pride control you. Are we understood?"

"Yes master," nodded the silver demon.

Excelsus grunted in approval before turning away for a moment, "While Nero's progress is unexpected, it will not last long."

"What's the plan, master?" asked Nergigante as he approached the son of Mundus.

"While we may not have the forces to track down Nero ourselves, there is another way," replied the ruler of demonkind. Holding up his right hand, he created a wide window that revealed an image of Las Vegas. The window focused on one point, in particular, a recording studio. DOA Recording Studios to be specific, "We apply some pressure to _persuade_ the Greek Gods to step up their search for Nero and his compatriots."

Nerscylla approached Excelsus and wrapped arms around his chest and pressed her body against his, smiling wickedly as she planted a small kiss on his cheek before looking at the window. Valfalk joined them as well, massaging his throat slightly.

"And what better way, then by giving one of the _'Big Three'_ a visit," smirked Excelsus, "And if that doesn't grab their attention."

The image changed to New York City, focusing directly on the Empire State Building, "We visit the home of Zeus himself to give him an incentive to find the boy faster for us."

"Gather Gore, Deviljho, Kulve Taroth, and Narkarkos and tell them we embark for Las Vegas," ordered Excelsus, Nergigante nodded before leaving the throne room. The demon king smirked sinisterly as the studio reflexed against his faintly glowing eye, "Let us see if Hades is anything like the Demon World."

* * *

**_DOA Recording Studios_**_**, Las Vegas, Nevada**_

Things have picked up incredibly quickly in the studio, though not for the right reasons.

Inside the Studio you didn't come in for a job, you came in to make your way to the afterlife. For this place served as the gate for Hades and Charon was not having a good day. For one thing, it was far more busy than it should be. There were souls filling the entire lobby, there weren't even enough seats for them to take their place. Standing about, silent, like the dead.

Sitting behind the desk in the steel gray colored lobby was Charon, the Spirit of Boundaries and Territories and the ferryman that transports dead spirits to the Underworld. Though for someone who ferries the dead, who was looking very healthy.

Currently, he was tall and elegant, with chocolate-colored skin and bleached-blond hair shaved military style. He wore tortoiseshell shades and a silk Italian suit that matched his hair. A black rose was pinned to his lapel under a silver name tag.

His true form and attire consisted of a long black robe and unlike the appearance he has in the lobby, his eyes are empty, completely dark, full of night, death, and despair. Right now, he was despairing alright, he had been experiencing nothing but an even bigger headache the last three weeks. The only other time he had this big of a headache was during Nam.

The doors to the lobby suddenly opened once more, causing the son of Nyx to silently strangle the air.

"More already?" he muttered to himself, having a distinctly British accent, "What in blazes is going on?"

Deciding to take his break, he took out a newspaper and unfolded it and held it up in front of him, cutting off his sight with whatever new souls entered.

"Mr. Charon," spoke a regal voice.

"I'm on my break currently, mate," stated the Ferrier sharply, "You'll just have to wait your turn."

"Oh, I don't wish to speak to you, good sir," corrected whoever it was, causing Charon to furrow his brow in confusion, "Rather, I wish to speak with your employer."

"Ha," scoffed the spirit, "No chance with that. My employer doesn't talk to random nobodies."

"Well that is unfortunate," said the owner of the voice. It was then the entire atmosphere in the lobby suddenly became dire. Like every single entity should get the hell away from here. The souls in the lobby instantly became frightened, bustling about causing Charon's eyes to widen, but before he could put the paper down, a large clawed hand grabbed the paper and ripped it from his hands.

"Oi! Just who...," snapped Charon, initially angry though his anger soon changed to trepidation as to who was standing before him.

He remembered Hades mentioning something happening at Camp Half-Blood, and he remembered the wave of despair that passed through here a while back. Startled the souls of the dead something fierce. Now standing before him was the one responsible for it all, and with him was his cohorts.

Excelsus and The Seven Sins.

**"But we must insist,"** stated the Demon King that invaded Camp Half-Blood, and from his tone, he wasn't going to take 'no' as an answer.

* * *

The ferry which Sharon used to carry souls to Hades bumped against the black sand, carrying only eight passengers.

**"Many thanks,** **ferryman," **thanked Excelsus as he stepped off the barge.

The last one to get off was Nergigante who was rubbing his knuckles, a dark chuckle rumbling from the devil as he left the son of Nyx a beaten and bloody mess on his own boat. While it is very difficult to harm a spirit, there are ways to cause them pain, and each demon knew plenty of ways to make others suffer.

"That was fun," stated the devil of wrath sadistically.

"Yes, always a joy to watch you show 'Does the poor victim bend that way?'" commented Narkarkos dryly.

Nergigante just scowled at the devil. Narkarkos was porky figure when in his human form. His armor not that well kept, in fact, it should barely count as armor at all. Just random bones strapped together. Though it should not be surprising considering he was the devil that represented Sloth.

"Let us make haste," interjected a feminine voice, drawing the attention to the only other female of the group, other than Nerscylla, "The gates to Hades are close."

"Dial it down a notch, Kulve," snorted Valfalk, "Hades' money isn't going anywhere."

Kulve Taroth, the Devil of Greed only frowned. Unlike Nerscylla, she was dressed a bit more conservatively, but no less flashy. Her armor consisted of almost pure gold. A gold breastplate covered her chest while golden chainmail and plating went down her arms. Unlike Nerscylla, Kulve's bust was not as large, to her hidden annoyance, but still larger than most women. She wore a golden skirt and knee-high gold boots. She wore a pair of golden rams worms on top of her head. Her hair color was a very unique bright gold blonde that contrasted with her cream-colored skin.

Excelsus stood before the gate to the Underworld which strangely resembled a cross between airport security and the Jersey Turnpike.

"I hate modern culture," growled Nergigante as he glared at the gate before them.

"Foods better though," commented Deviljho from his left.

"Of course you would say that," muttered Nerscylla as she rested her left hand on her hip as she stood beside Excelsus.

"You surprised or something?" deadpanned the devil that represents gluttony. Contrary to what one might assume, this devil was far from fat, he was chunky but extremely muscular in his human form. His helmet was colored green and sported a massive underbite that was covered with dozens of yellow teeth. Two small holes allowed the demon to see out of the headpiece. With beefy arms covered with more green leathery armor and spiked elbow pads, a barrel-chested physique with more green armor and broad legs. The devil had the muscle to match his hunger.

"Quiet," snapped the final member of their group, "I sense something."

All the devils fell silent as Gore Magla did his thing. About the same size as his master, Gore wore dark purple armor, almost pitch black. His shoulder pads looked like claws gripping his shoulders while a long cape dragged along the floor. His head was hidden by a cloak, only allowing two purple horns to rise up. The armor he wore was bulky but still flexible, and it appeared that a dark mist was continuously flowing from him.

Suddenly a loud howl echoed through the chasm in which they stood. Looking towards the gate they saw a semi-transparent mass move. Excelsus narrowed his eyes slightly until he picked out what it was.

"It seems the guard dog has noticed us," commented the Demon King as he clasped his hands behind his back.

Sure enough, Cerberus was growling lowly at the Demons that stood before the gates to Hades. Unlike what people would normally assume this beast would be a black mastiff, the Cerberus of Greek Myth appeared to be a rottweiler. About three times the size of a minivan, and the same size of one particular Devil among them.

"Nergigante," called out the Demon King, getting the attention of the aforementioned devil, "Introduce yourself to this mutt."

The mythical canine growled, clearly knowing an insult when one is directed at it. The devil chuckled darkly as he cracked his knuckles.

"You're too kind, master," thanked the Devil as his body started glowing. Suddenly, he began to grow in size, the scale armor becoming more organic while Nergigante got down on all fours. Continuing to grow in size, the Devil soon reached his full size and the light began to fade.

In his true form, Nergigante was a hulking beast not dissimilar to a western dragon. He had powerful forelimbs with enormous claws on each hand, numerous spikes covering his arms. A long-tail whipped out the back, lined with even more spikes that went up across his spine to the back of his head and across his wings. Two enormous horns sprouted from his head, almost twice its size. A massive maw of jagged teeth oozed some saliva as Nergigante's orange eyes locked onto the Cerbeus in front of him.

The devil let out a thunderous roar, flaring his wings before charging right towards the gate. Cerberus let out a howl and also charged. The devil of wrath smashed his horns into the rottweiler's center head while lashing out with both claws to grab the throats of the other two heads. The central head snapped back from the impact, exposing its neck to Nergigante, allowing the monster to sink its teeth into the animals' flesh.

Throwing his weight around, Nergigante hurled Cerberus to the far side of the cavern where the dog slammed into the stone wall. The beast let out a pained whine while the Devil roared. Flapping his wings out, Nergigante took to the air, rising several feet off the ground before divebombing right towards the downed guard dog. The impact sent a shockwave through the cavern, shattering the stone ground where the devil collided with the mythical dog.

The devils watched as one of their own tore apart the Cerberus, smiling cruelly.

"Come," ordered Excelsus, bringing their attention back to what they were doing, "We have work to do."

"Didn't know Nergigante was so well versed with fighting Cerberi," commented Valfalk as he walked beside his master.

"Before pledging his loyalty to me, he used to hunt the Cerberus tribe for fun," informed Excelsus, this made the silver devil stop and glance back.

Cerberus was thrown once more across the ground by Nergigante, hundreds of wounds covered the animal's body, the poor beast whining in pain for its master to make the pain go away. Suddenly, Nergigante crashed down onto it once more, standing on its throat and pressing down. _Hard._

What followed was a very loud and audible crack as the neck of the guard dog to the Greek Underworld was crushed and the beast fell still.

Nergigante growled lowly before throwing his head back, letting out a thunderous roar of triumph.

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**_And here we have chapter three of Slayer's Return. Still getting tons of support and followers every day but I've been thinking about just condensing it into Godly Demon like I close this story and move the chapters over to Godly Demon and just delete the extra chapters. I don't know, I've just had a lot on my mind recently with college and getting used to everything. I will leave a poll asking if I should condense this story into Godly Demon or keep it on its own._**

**_Moving on, I want to post a little warning before we move further into the story. At points, there will be some explicit moments where it might not be suitable for younger audiences. I'm of course referring to whenever I have Nerscylla as the current focus._**

**_..._**

**_Don't judge me and I honestly don't know what you were expecting. It's demons! This what some demons do! Especially this one since she represents lust! So I'm just getting this warning out of the way now so angry mobs don't storm my college calling for my head on a pike. So mature content will appear and I thankfully, changed the rating to M so that some random kid doesn't accidentally stumble upon my story and reads this. I don't want to take away a kid's innocence, don't want that on my conscience._**

**_..._**

**_Also, I might pair Excelsus with Nerscylla to make Excelsus more than just a 2-D character and someone with actual depth. And yes, all the Devils are inspired by monsters from Monster Hunter, sue me. Also, they each have their own unique voice. For instance, Gore Magala sounds Tony Todd, Narkarkos sounds like Gabriel Woolf (the voice actor of The Beast from Doctor Who), Valfalk like Philip Anthony Rodriguez (Jetstream Sam from Metal Gear), Nergigante like J. K. Simmons, Deviljho like Brian Dobson, Nerscylla like _****_Kelly Hu, and Kulve Taroth like Gina Bellman. And that's all of them._**

**_Alright, leave a comment or follow me. Whichever._**

**_See you next time!_**


	4. Chapter 4 Building Pressure Part 2

_**Okay, I want to start things off right off the bat with a major warning that themes in this story are going to get very, very, VERY dark. I'm talking somethings will be heavily implied that some people will not approve of. I really don't want to say what I know is going to happen, but I will try to word it as delicately as possible. **_

_**There will be themes of sexual violation.**_

_**I won't directly show what will happen, but it will be implied or hinted to. I really hope you can forgive me. **_

_**Anyway, I'm going to leave the poll up for a while, see how many people want things to change or stay the same. Maybe in a few weeks, maybe at American Thanksgiving or the start of December, I will post the results of the poll and decide what will happen. However, I will say that the vote is looking in favor of the way things currently are.**_

_**Moving on.**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Capcom owns Devil May Cr. Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**_

* * *

_**Devil May Cry: Slayer's Return**_

_**Chapter 4: Building Pressure Part 2**_

_**River Styx Shoreline, Underworld**_

The Greek myth of Cerberus had been grossly over-exaggerated from what Excelsus could tell. The pup seemed to only rely on its natural abilities and the fact that it was more of a spirit, an animal at that. In the Demon World, Cerberi were intelligent and crafty beasts, their three heads able to think three different ways, allowing the creature to multi-task. It was a shame that Nergigante disposed of the creature, but then again since he did not actually use his power and merely his own strength, the Demon King could assume that the mutt would return sooner or later. At the moment, however, the only thing standing between him and the Greek God he wished to address, is the gateway the beast was previously guarding.

"Narkarkos," addressed Excelsus, the aforementioned devil bowed before his lord and master, "Would be so kind as to _knock_?"

"Alright," replied the Demon representing sloth in a tired tone. Heading towards the front of the group, Narkarkos's body started glowing hundreds of different colors, creating a sort of rainbow. Soon, his body began to grow in size.

Excelsus, Nerscylla, and the other demons craned their heads back slightly to watch as their comrade grew even larger than Nergigante and Asmodeus, during his brief time in the Human World. Soon, the array of colors began to fade and reveal Narkarkos in his true form. Almost three times the size of Nergigante and with several dozen feet on Asmodeus, Narkarkos easily outsized them and, even more so, outweighed them. His true form was a massive cephalopod-like monster. With glowing yellow eyes and massive, sharp beak, blue skin with spots of turquoise bioluminescence. Across its entire body were the bones of every single one of the demon's victims. Two long tentacles wriggled around, tipped with skulls and covered with dozens of bones, giving him the appearance of having three heads. Bones covered his entire body, while a small flap was held up out of his face, flashing hundreds of different colors.

Narkarkos then let out a ground-shaking bellow one would assume to hear from a creature not too different from the Kraken. His tentacles flailed around, the souls of dead clearly panicking. Suddenly, the rainbow flashes on the bone flap above his head suddenly turned dark red while Narkarkos' eyes also turned red; a deep ruby to be precise. Suddenly, energy began crackling around the demon's tentacles, a dark red electrical discharge that flowed towards his beak. More demonic energy began to collect as Narkarkos bowed his entire body suddenly, using his tentacles as balance.

Red particles began to form in the air and congregate towards the demon's mouth.

"Master?" asked Nerscylla, turning to Excelsus.

"Just watch, Nerscylla," assured Excelsus without a trace of doubt in his words, "Narkarkos is many things, the embodiment of sloth capital among them. But I can say without a shred of doubt that when he does put effort into work..."

Excelsus purposefully trailed off to gesture to his servant. The demoness representing lust looked back at the grotesque monster, his entire body now crackling with power. Having collected enough energy, Narkarkos lifted his head, an orb of dark red energy was in his maw. What followed was close to cataclysmic as a massive flash erupted from the orb and a colossal beam surged forward. The ray was a mixture of crimson and black energy, approximately the size of the drill used to carve the Euro Tunnel underneath the English Channel.

The attack ripped through the ground, tearing up the stone and obliterated the gateway. Any soul caught in the beam was instantly destroyed. Slowly, Narkarkos began turning, swinging in the beam to the right, destroying the rest of the gate. The devils, minus Excelsus stared in shock and awe at the raw power that their ally had. After a few more seconds, the beam began to die down and reveal the aftermath.

Nothing.

There wasn't anything left of the gateway into the Underworld. Only the whine of some alarms filled the cavern before dying out.

"It is well worth it," smirked Excelsus as Narkarkos returned to his previous form.

"I've done my part," stated the devil, letting out a yawn, "Now you do yours."

Excelsus snorted as he turned to his followers, "You heard the devil," stated the Demon King, "Let us show this world what hell truly is."

The devils all smirked at the notion of letting loose for once. That's when they heard a war cry and noticed several ghouls charging right towards them, dressed like modern-day police riot officers. Before any of the devils could move, Nergigante flew right over them, a thunderous roar bellowing out of his lungs as he remained in his true form. The devil of wrath crushed the closest ghouls before spinning around, slicing through several others with his claws or bashing them to pieces with his spiked tail. The devils all charged, Nerscylla among them, however, Excelsus suddenly stopped her by grabbing her shoulder.

"Except for you, my dear," stated the Demon King.

"What?!" exclaimed the lust demon, "But why?"

"Because I have a special target for you," clarified the son of Mundus, his tone turning darker, "One that will give us an edge."

Nerscylla's eyes widened slightly before a sadistic smile crept across her face, "Is my target who I believe it is?"

"Indeed," nodded Excelsus as he released the demoness from his hold, "Now come. While the others are distracting Hades's forces, we shall have that talk with his _godliness,_ and see if we cannot convince him to cooperate."

* * *

_**Hades' Palace, Underworld**_

Further into the Greek Underworld was a massive palace, made almost entirely of obsidian. Massive outwalls rose up around the fortress, glittering black while a two-story bronze gate was currently shut. Inside the walls was a massive courtyard, filled with plants that would not be found anywhere else in the world. A few statues decorated the garden, as did precious jewels that replaced the lack of flowers. At the center of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees.

Through the garden was the main palace, a dark building with even darker windows but had no roof, which made sense since it would never rain here. Hundreds of skeletons were garbed in military gear, ranging from Greek armor to American Marines.

It was inside the palace of Hades was the aforementioned god seated in his throne. His current attire consisted of black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. However, his eyes were closed in deep concentration.

One of the doors to his throne room opened, revealing Persephone, wearing similar clothing to her husband. She had a concerned look on her face when her eyes fell upon Hades. Ever since the Invasion of Camp Half-Blood, he has been strangely quiet, well, more so than usual. Quietly, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter approached her relative/husband.

"Hades, there is something bothering you, isn't there?" she inquired gently, resting her hand on top of his. The ruler of the Underworld opened her eyes and turned to her, a somewhat despondent look on his face. The son of Kronos let out a tired sigh before standing from his throne.

"Just recalling all that has happened so far," explained the deity as he stepped away and headed towards one of the windows.

"No, this goes beyond that, doesn't it?" countered Persephone as she folded her arms underneath her bust and followed him.

"You know me very well, my love," chuckled the god but without any humor, "Yes, I'm thinking about our place in the world in relation to these _demons_."

Persephone knew what he was talking about, having heard how these beasts took them completely by surprise, how Hades and his brothers were nearly outmatched by three of these beasts and were rescued by Nero. It was truly an experience none of the Olympians had experienced in quite a long time, and it greatly outlined how their pride blinded them so much.

_'Nero,'_ thought Persephone, recalling her interaction with the son of Hestia.

Even though she barely spoke to him, she could tell that despite all of his rudeness and disregard for respect, there was a good heart in the boy. One that could surpass some of the greatest heroes, but there was more to it, in the form of the prophecy that was bestowed upon them at the beginning of the invasion.

Hades stepped throw a set of french doors onto a balcony that overlooked the Underworld. Before his palace was the Fields of Punishment, the place where all souls who are unfit for the alternative went. The land glowed and smoked in the distance, a vast, cracked wasteland with rivers of lava and minefields and miles of barbed wire separating the different torture areas. Even from his palace, Hades could hear and see people being chased by hellhounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked through cactus patches strip naked, or listen to opera music.

It's essentially hell so there are a variety of punishments and different people can consider different things the worst kind of punishment.

Not far from that was Elysium which looked like a gated community and appeared to be the only happy place in the Underworld. Beyond the security gate was neighborhoods of beautiful houses from every time period in history, Roman villas and medieval castles and Victorian mansions. Silver and gold flowers bloomed on the lawns. The grass rippled in rainbow colors. One could hear laughter and smell barbecue cooking.

In the center of the valley was a glittering blue lake, with a few small islands similar to a vacation resort in the Bahamas. These were the Isles of the Blest, for people who had chosen to be reborn three times, and three times achieved Elysium.

But to Hades, none of that mattered as his focus was elsewhere.

"Then there is something else," spoke up Hades, gaining his wife's attention.

"What might that be?" she asked, stepping beside him holding his right hand with both of hers.

"It is the demon that led the invasion," answered the first son of Kronos, "the one Nero called _'Excelsus'_. Something about that one strikes me differently than the others that invaded the camp, and it goes beyond the fact that he can hold a conversation."

Persephone let out a small giggle at the attempt of humor. The ruler of the Underworld smiled for a moment before it vanished and he looked out across his kingdom, "That creature, whatever it is, knew who we were and planned out his attack brilliantly."

"You mean to say he has been watching us?" inquired his wife.

"More than that, this goes beyond a simple attack, by which I refer to how it felt when he spoke," elaborated Hades gesturing with his hands before turning to Persephone.

"You're saying that there is more to this Excelsus?"

"I'm saying that this just doesn't feel like a random attack, even with the prophecy. It feels like what happened in the camp, was personal," stated Hades.

Persephone furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. How was this attack personal? They had never encountered demons until now, to their knowledge. So, was Hades suggesting that they may have wronged this demon in the past without even realizing it?

Before she could ask what made him believe that, a massive explosion shook their home and blinding flash erupted from the entrance. Hades instinctively grabbed his wife to protect her before turning to the source. His eyes widened in shock when he was the massive red beam rip through the gateway and swing around, destroying everything. Alarms were blaring wildly as the beam subsided.

"What was that?!" cried out Persephone as she looked at her husband in shock and confusion. Instead of answering, Hades narrowed his eyes and raised his right hand. Shadows began collecting into a mass just in front of him before widening out to form a screen. The screen then displayed a view of the area near the entrance, however, what the ruler of the Underworld saw made his heart stop for a split second.

Several warriors were storming into the Underworld, each wearing different armor and carried different weapons. However, it was upon sensing a terrible power did he realize just who exactly they were.

"Demons," breathed Hades as he watched a demon wearing silver streamlined armor. Large shoulder pads rested on the creature's shoulders and appeared to be releasing some crimson energy while the demon itself held a katana. The demon was easily cleaving his way through his forces with blinding speed that only Hermes could boast of. The other demons were crushing anything that stood in their paths: hellhounds, ghouls, harpies, it didn't matter, they were no match.

This was not good.

"What?" gasped Persephone from what she heard her husband say.

"Demons have invaded my domain," seethed the eldest son of Kronos, clearly angered, however, he was not about to let his pride blind him, "Persephone, you must get to safety."

"What?"

"You must leave and get to safety," repeated Hades as he turned to his wife and took hold of her arms, "We know nothing of these creatures and I will not take the risk of possibly losing you."

"I will not leave you," she defied, even as two ghouls wearings Police Riotgear entered the throne room, carrying grenade launchers.

"And I cannot stand the thought of losing you! You must go!" stated the ruler of the Underworld harder. It was then an impact of some kind landed just outside the gates of his palace grabbed the attention of both Olympians. Shrouded in the dust, a dark violet glow pieced through. A blast of wind-dispersed the dust instantly to reveal Excelsus, standing at fifteen feet tall, his aura oppressive and terrifying.

Hades' eyes widened when he saw the King of the Demonworld standing before them. He then immediately turned to Persephone and cupped her cheeks to look her in the eyes, "Please, you must go wife."

Persephone could see in his eyes the urgency in them, and then it dawned on her: he was not certain he could defeat Excelsus. The lack of knowledge and understanding of demonic kind was coming back to bite them. _Hard._

Slowly, the daughter of Demeter and Zeus nodded in acceptance.

"If you die, I will never forgive you," vowed Persephone.

Hades let out a sigh of relief as he motioned for the two ghouls to escort Persephone out and to safety. Once she was through the door, the ruler of the Underworld turned to his invader.

_**"Hades," **_called out Excelsus calmly, but his voice echoed like thunder throughout the area, _**"I would have words with you."**_

"Very well," called out Hades as his entire body turned to shadows and melted away. Shadows then began to collect in front of Excelsus and reveal the son of Kronos in full armor. Standing roughly ten feet tall, Hades' armor was a pitch-black while cape made of shadows rested from his shoulders. Upon his head was the Helm of Darkness, _"What is it you have to say?"_

* * *

_Back inside the_ palace...

Persephone hurriedly followed the ghouls towards the exit furthest from Excelsus. She had been at the invasion of the camp, but she had seen the aftermath. Despite being married to the King of the Underworld, seeing that place completely razed left afraid. If these beasts could break through the protections placed on the camp, there was no telling what they could do to a god or goddess.

While it might have been easier to teleport away from the battle, that form of magic is blocked within the walls of her husband's palace. So she must leave the grounds of her home to get to safety. They had never thought that this would be a problem, but they never thought anything would be bold enough to assault the Underworld.

"Our pride truly has blinded us," muttered Persephone to herself as she and the ghouls rounded a corner.

"Yes, it has," agreed a smooth voice. The three froze and looked around for the owner of the voice. However, they found no one.

"Who's there?" demanded Persephone.

Instead of answering, a spray of what appeared to be spider silk came down and latched onto the chest of one of the ghouls. The guard was yanked right into the air towards a figure which leaped down from the shadows. The ghoul was then sliced apart by whoever it was that landed on the ground in front of both Persephone and the second ghoul.

"Nice to meet you," greeted the stranger standing up in front of them, "I'm Nerscylla, and I'm a friend. Are you a friend?"

The other ghoul tried taking aim at the girl when suddenly, Nerscylla's six spidery legs shot out and pierced the walls. She then launched herself at the guard dodging a grenade that was fired at her. Spinning around in the air, she flipped over the ghoul and grabbed its head. She then ripped the head clean off while the body fell to the ground.

"I bet he was cute when he was alive," commented Nerscylla as she held the head in front of her. Persephone stared at her in shock.

"Y-you're one of the demons!" realized the goddess.

"Guilty as charged," giggled the demoness as she tossed the severed head aside and directed her focus onto Persephone, "Wanna play a game?"

Persephone tried turning to run but a string of webbing latched onto her back and yanked her right towards Nerscylla. Using her spidery legs and webbing, the demoness restrained Persephone but not in the typical spider fashion. Rather, the silk was formed into a type of rope.

The goddess's arms were bound behind her back, while more ropes went around her entire body. A sort of harness was formed across her chest, primarily around Persephone's breasts. A rope with a sort of bulge attached to it was forced into her mouth.

"Playing hard to get, are we?" purred Nerscylla as she used her spider legs to hold Persephone in front of her, the goddess screaming into the gag as she thrashed around, "and with fire."

Nerscylla chuckled almost sadistically as she reached out and gently let her fingertips graze across Persephone's skin, the goddess freezing up when contact was made.

"Don't bother trying to escape, sweetheart," stated Nerscylla as she brought the Olympian to eye level, her violet eyes meeting Persephone's sky-blue, "When you're tangled in my web, no one gets out unless I want them to, so you better get comfortable."

Nerscylla's fingers waltz their way up Persephone's sides, the goddess screaming into the gag, but could not get words out.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you," promised Nerscylla as she traced her fingertips around the goddess's breasts, "Excelsus told me I had to while he proves a point to Hades."

"But while he's doing that," the demon of lust's tone changed into a sinister one as she rested her hand on Persephone's cheek, the goddess's eyes clamped tightly shut, "He never said, I couldn't play with you for a while."

Grabbing Persephone's cheek, she forced her to look to the right while a portal opened up behind Nerscylla. The demoness leaned over and stuck her tongue out. She then licked the side of the goddess's face, starting from her collar bone and up her neck, across her cheek and to her ear. Persephone let out a choked sob as Nerscylla arrived at her ear. She gently tongued her ear before slowly walked back to the portal.

"Would you like to play a game?" asked Nerscylla as she approached the portal, "It's okay if you don't know any games. I know _lots_ _of games **we can play."**_

Nerscylla's eyes started shining a bright purple as she made contact with the portal and carried Persephone closer. Soon, both goddess and demon passed through the portal and disappeared. Once through, the portal snapped shut, leaving only the mangled bodies of the ghouls behind.

* * *

_Outside..._

Standing before each other were Excelsus, the King of the Demonworld, and Hades, King of the Underworld. The two staring at each other silently, daring the other to make a move. It was then, the ruler vanished from the sight of Excelsus, however, the demonic king merely snorted.

_**"I can still see you, son of Kronos,"**_ stated Excelsus, almost mockingly as he remained where he was, _**"More than that, I can sense your unease."**_

Excelsus then took a step forward towards the palace, **_"You realize that because of your sibling's arrogance, even your own arrogance, you are at a disadvantage."_**

_**"Even with the Helm of Darkness, you realize that victory is not guaranteed," **_continued Excelsus as he looked around, Hades remaining completely silent, _**"An intriguing invention, the Helm is. Created by the Cyclopses, specifically Brontes, the Cyclopes your sibling, Zeus, convinced to forge for them. The Master Bolt, the Trident, and the Helm, each now a symbol of power, or rather, your symbol of power."**_

**_"An intriguing concept: a symbol to represent your might, but what are symbols without power to back up their meaning?"_**

Excelsus suddenly stopped and turned completely away from Hades's palace, _**"Empty threats."**_

The Demon King suddenly lashed out his left hand, a blast of dark wind shooting out in one direction. The blast collided with an invisible object, a pained yell echoing through the Underworld. Excelsus let up on his attack to reveal Hades struck down, his armor smoking as he picked himself.

_"How were you-"_

**_"Able to strike you even though you are wearing your helm? To understand is to have power and I understand how the Helm of Darkness functions,"_** explained the demon, **_"The Helm of Darkness grants you the ability to not be touched by any object. In other words, nothing can touch your corporeal form. Which is why I did not attack you physically, but rather, your spiritual body."_**

Hades's eyes widened in shock. How did this creature know so much about them? However, his surprise wasn't over yet as Excelsus continued speaking.

_**"While the power of invisibility and to instill complete fear into all others is useful,"**_ complimented Excelsus, _**"What happens when a creature understands how your helm functions? You are at a disadvantage."**_

_"Do not underestimate me, demon!" _snapped Hades harshly, _"Though you can see through the helm, that does not grant you victory!"_

**_"Of course not,"_** agreed with the son of Mundus before holding out his right hand, in his palm, a collection of violet energy formed before taking the shape of a spiked hammer with a long handle, _**"Beating you into submission, however."**_

The demon spun the hammer around before taking it into both hands, _**"That might."**_

With that, Excelsus charged while Hades summoned a sword and shield to defend himself. The Demonic King raised his hammer and brought it down savagely, sparks erupting between the weapon and the Olympians shield. The eldest son of Kronos tried counter-attacking with his sword, but Excelsus blocked his swing with the shaft of his hammer.

With a yell, the demon hooked one spike into the sword and spun around taking Hades with him. He hurled the Greek god towards his palace where the deity slammed into the wall. The king winced in pain as the wall to his home cracked behind him. He fell to the ground but managed to remain standing.

Excelsus kept a neutral stare at him when he suddenly felt the pelting of bullets against his side. Looking to his left, he saw several dozen ghouls firing at him with automatic rifles. The demon king barely flinched even when they used grenades and rocket launchers on him. Rolling his eyes, he raised his hammer and slammed the weapon down into the ground. A massive blast of wind erupted from the point of impact while the stone fractured towards the ghouls. The ground collapsed underneath the ghouls, swallowing them up.

Turning back towards Hades, Excelsus saw he was getting back to his feet. The demon frowned behind his mask and spun around for a second before hurling his hammer right towards the deity. Hades had no time to react before the weapon slammed right into his chest and smashed him through the walls of his palace. The first son of Kronos tumbled into his wife's garden, crashing through several diamonds and sculptures.

Hades groaned as he got back to his feet just in time to see Excelsus come flying through the hole. In his hands was a large spear with a jagged blade on one side. Hades jumped to the side to avoid being impaled by the demon but was taken off guard when Excelsus lashed out with his right hand. The back of his hand struck the side the deity's face, sending him flying towards his palace and through the front doors.

Hades grunted as his back skidded across the marble floor. He sat up to see Excelsus enter his home.

_**"You are not a warrior, Hades,"**_ stated Excelsus as he spun the spear in his right hand, _**"Yet you try to fight me."**_

_"This is my domain!" _roared Hades as his form erupted with shadows, _"Here I am all-powerful! HERE, I CANNOT BE DEFEATED!"_

Hades's entire form then turned in pitch-black shadows, creating a storm of darkness around Excelsus as the demon reached the center of the front entrance. All-around the Demon King, a vortex of darkness swirled, closing in on the demon. A massive whirlwind of darkness rose towards the ceiling. The storm could easily be seen from all parts of the Underworld, but Excelsus was not fazed at all and only looked at the dark storm calmly.

_**"As an immortal, Hades, your life is infinite**__**,"**_ stated Excelsus cryptically, momentarily confusing the god, **_"As such, you will experience everything at some point in your life."_**

Suddenly, violet energy began collecting around the son of Mundus, traveling into the spear in his right hand. The purple glow from Excelsus soon started to grow brighter and brighter. From the outside of the storm, one could see a faint purple glow starting to pierce through the mass of shadows.

_**"And at the moment, son of Kronos,"**_ Excelsus flipped the spear around so that he held the weapon in a reverse grip, _**"You shall feel the sting of defeat."**_

The demon then plunged the spear directly into the ground. From the tip of the spear, a massive blast of demonic power erupted. Hades let out a scream of pain as the energy burned his body. Everything around Excelsus was blown apart and from the outside, it appeared that Hades's entire palace exploded while a dark purple explosion of demonic power swept through the entire area. Any ghouls, harpies, or hellhounds that were close by were destroyed instantly while the demons that attacked with Excelsus were completely unharmed.

Slowly, the wave of energy faded and revealed Hades's entire palace and Persephone's garden in ruins. The entire structure had been blown apart as if a bomb had gone off inside the entire building. Rubble crumbled around, though the only thing that survived was Hades's throneroom, but only just barely.

The demons that attacked all converged on the one great palace.

At the center of it was Excelsus, completely unscathed. The demon king was casually brushing his armor off, removing the dust. In front of him, lying face down on the ground was Hades. The Greek God's armor was completely ruined and the Helm of Darkness lay just in front of the deity.

_**"Such a disappointment,"**_ stated Excelsus in disdain as he dismissed his spear.

"Master," called out Valfalk as he approached the Demon King. The son of Mundus turned to see Valfalk and the others arriving, Nergigante returning to his human form and landed before his master to kneel. The others following suit.

_**"What news do you bring?"**_ he asked his servant.

"The pagan's forces are in disarray," reported Valfalk before his gaze fell upon Hades, "You did not kill him."

_**"Of course not," **_scoffed Excelsus as he shrunk down to his human form, "that was never my plan."

"Then why did we come here, master?" asked Nergigante, from his tone, he was more than a little annoyed that they were deceived by their master.

"Calm yourself, Nergigante, the gods shall meet their demise," promised Excelsus as he rested his hand on the shoulder of the demon of wrath, "but not before we make our intentions clear."

"Master?" asked Valfalk, confused.

"I'll explain in a moment," sighed their master as he approached Hades and stooped down to pick up the Helm of Darkness, "Bring the pagan, he will be of use for what I plan to do next."

* * *

_Later..._

"Wake up, pagan," ordered a gruff voice as Hades regained consciousness. His head throbbed with pain and his entire body ached all over. Slowly, the deity regained his sight, however, whoever gave the order didn't like being kept waiting because Hades was kicked in his side. The god grunted in pain as he fell onto his right.

"Leave him, Nergigante," chastised a familiar voice, causing Hades to open his eyes in shock. Upon doing so, he immediately noticed he was in his throne room, or whatever was left of his throne room. Everything around him was reduced to rubble and debris. Getting to his knees, he saw the invader sitting in _his_ throne.

_"You... you dare to sit in my-gah!"_ started Hades angrily getting to his feet and tried approaching his foe, only to be struck across the back and forced to his knees again by Nergigante.

"I'd choose your next words carefully, pagan," stated the silver demon that stood on Excelsus's right while another wearing green spiked armor stood on his left.

"Do not judge him so harshly, Valfalk," stated Excelsus as he sat in Hades's throne and held his helm in his left hand, "Anger is the natural response for those who have as humans say, _'screwed over.'_"

"But it is true," he continued, his attention fixed right on Hades who was groaning in pain while he got back to his feet, "Your choice of words, Hades, are in complete control of the outcome of our meeting."

"What do you want, demon?" spat Hades as he nursed his side. He immediately took notice that he was no longer in his armor, but in a very cheap black suit with a white collared shirt.

"Your assistance, Hades," answered Excelsus.

"What?" frowned the deity.

"You see, it has come to my attention that, the Greek Gods are completely unaware of demonic kind and the gravity of the situation, and I wish to rectify that," explained the demon king, "And in order to make this situation as clear as possible, I am going to reveal some specific information."

"You want me to do the god of Hermes and tell them all individually?" seethed Hades. It was here that Excelsus started chuckling darkly, putting Hades completely on edge.

"No," picked up the demon after his little chortle, "I want you, to tell each of the Olympians to gather at the council room upon Mount Olympus so that I may tell them in person."

"Impossible," countered the king of the Underworld, "I do not have the authority to call for a meeting and it is impossible for beings to entire Olympus unless one of our descendants."

"While it is true that calling for a meeting is beyond your right, that is not to say that you cannot ask for one god to meet with you at Olympus to discuss certain matters," clarified Excelsus, "And I can indeed entire Olympus, because Olympus does not rest outside this plane of existence."

Hades's eyes widened slightly.

"Come now, don't tell me that you've forgotten that after your father's defeat, you and your brothers divided the world into your own domains," scoffed Excelsus, "As a demon, I can reach any part of the world, regardless of magical barriers. However, there is one constraint I am placing on you."

"What do you mean?" asked the deity.

"You must merely tell them you wish to speak with that god and goddess individually, do not tell them that others will be coming," explained the demon king.

"What if they refuse?" asked Hades.

"Just tell them that 'Excelsus ordered me to,'" stated Excelsus, his tone then turned darker, "And to ensure that you comply with these orders, your Helm of Darkness shall be collateral."

He then held out his right hand, a violet glow lighting up behind Hades, the deity turned around and what he saw caused him to gasp in horror, "Along with one other thing."

Above Hades was a window that revealed Persephone and Nerscylla, except the goddess's clothing, was torn, revealing her breasts and womanhood. Ropes bound her arms back while a gag was stuffed into her mouth. Her legs were bound together, forcing her to kneel on whatever floor she was on. Nerscylla was crouched behind, her right hand was gripping Persephone's right breast fonding it while the other was between her legs, rubbing her entrance. Hades could see tears rolling down his wife's cheeks while Nerscylla grinned sadistically as she continued to play with her new toy. Even licking the side of her face, while the wife of Hades sobbed.

"To ensure you completely follow my orders, I had your wife taken," explained Excelsus in a neutral tone as the window disappeared, "her wellbeing is entirely dependant on your cooperation."

"H-How do I know you simply won't kill her the second I complete your orders," Hades's voice trembled and for a few moments, Excelsus said nothing before he rose from his borrowed throne and approached Hades.

"I will be blunt, Son of Kronos: I fully intend to kill her, along with you, your siblings, their children, your children, and all gods that inhabit this world," explained Excelsus as he reduced his size and stood before the greek god. He then reached out and began straightening out the suit Hades wore, "However, I do not wish to kill her now, for now, is not the right time. It is also the reason why I did not kill you."

"While a demon's word is often worthless, usually backstabbing the victim the first chance it gets. I will ensure that your wife is returned to you, for one sole reason," finished Excelsus while also finishing adjusting the suit Hades' wore, "No king should die without his queen."

"I would suggest you make haste," finished Excelsus retreating back to the throne to take the Helm while a portal opened to their left, startling Hades as the demons and Excelsus began to leave, "While Nerscylla is forbidden from taking the life of your beloved, that is not to say that she cannot be broken."

Hades just watched in horror as Excelsus paused before the portal and glanced back at the deity.

"One more thing, Hades," said the demon king, the deity trembling in fury and despair, "When you and all the Gods are at Olympus, be sure to bring up the topic of fate. I'm sure Zeus and the others would enjoy discussing that."

"Now go," ordered Excelsus as he stepped towards the portal, "and know that the wellbeing of your wife is all that is one the line."

With that, Excelsus stepped through the portal which snapped shut behind him, leaving Hades alone. The king of the Underworld was left silent as he stared at the spot where this demon completely had him at his mercy. The deity ran his hand through his hair as he approached semi-intact balcony to look out across the Underworld. Everything was in ruin. The fields, Elysium, all of it was in ruins. His kingdom had been leveled in an afternoon, or at least this part of it, the part that mattered the most.

Hades could only fall to his knees and grit his teeth in fury. He wanted so much to destroy those demons, the ones that bested him in his domain, took his wife, and were now forcing him to do their bidding, but what could he do?

What could he do?

* * *

_**Carribean Sea, Off the Coast of the Americas**_

"Hey, Lady?!" shouted Nero from the front of the rented boat, "How much longer?"

"Well if you look in front of us, you'll notice an island directly in front of us," replied the older hunter sarcastically. Nero looked back and in the distance, there was an island coming up.

"I'm not blind," countered Nero, "Just wanna know how long until we physically get there."

"We should arrive in little over thirty minutes," informed Saeko as she approached Nero. The youngest hunter nodded to her. Their journey had been pretty quiet, thankfully. They were taking a big risk of sailing through an ocean to get to an island. Especially when the Greek God of the ocean was after you.

"Remind me again, how come Raiden didn't just teleport us directly to the island?" asked Nero, glancing at the purple-haired girl.

"Transporting such a distance would require a generous amount of energy," she explained, "If Lord Raiden had transported us to the island, the result could reveal the home of the Lowells, putting them in danger of being discovered by the Olympians. Also, because of Via de Marli's magical properties, it is extremely difficult to transport multiple people to its grounds."

"Right," replied Nero as he folded his arms while Saeko joined him at the front of the boat, "Just gotta be patient and hope for the best."

After all, it wasn't like the fate of the world was at stake?

_**To Be Continued...**_


	5. Chapter 5 Building Pressure Part 3

_**And here we are, chapter 5. Things are turning up for the worst for the Olympians, Hades getting bested in his home of all places, and soon, we'll have the reveal of the connection between Kronos and Mundus. Parts of the trailer are lining up more and more, as well as Nero's vision. Though, minor spoiler, I'm going to be including some content from DMC 5: Before the Nightmare graphic novel, specifically when Lucia and Matier are involved, mainly to build more lore and connections in the story. I hope everyone likes where I'm taking this story and I just really hope everyone gives Saeko a chance. The story has just started and all I ask is that you give her a chance to interact with Nero a bit.**_

_**Also, some of you might be wondering why I depicted Raiden as his MK incarnation. The main reason is that the Shinto Raiden, or Raijin from the actual myth, would eat children. So, yeah... enough said.**_

_**And one more thing, I have to ask because I want to be absolutely certain of for the next book. What would you say Nero's durability levels are in this story? I know that officially, Nero isn't as durable as someone like Dante, but in this story, with his godly heritage, would you say that Nero is now on par with Dante in terms of how much punishment he can take, or slightly less. The gods are no pushovers, but only specific traits are passed to their children like Percy has the ability to manipulate water and command sea animals like his father, but he can't take the same amount of punishment as Poseidon.**_

_**One thing that is certain for Nero in this regard is his resistance to heat/manipulation of fire considering his mother is the goddess of the hearth and his ability to create food.**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Capcom owns Devil May Cry and Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**_

* * *

_**Devil May Cry: Slayer's Return**_

_**Chapter 5: Building Pressure Part 3**_

_**Vie de Marli, dock, Carribean**_

The trip had finally come to an end all the hunters had arrived at Vie de Marli, the home of a clan of women demon hunters. The island was once originally known as Durmary Island before its name was changed for unknown reasons. The island was discovered by religious refugees from the Mediterranean regions, who were branded as heretics for continuing to believe in the old pagan gods by followers of different beliefs. Being forced to abandon their European home, any followers sailed away, across the Atlantic ocean where, by chance, they found this island. These people, along with runaway slaves, assimilated to form a new culture. They came to worship deities from a different dimension, and the rites performed in honor of these beings often resembled exorcisms and demon sealing ceremonies. These beliefs were headed by the "guardians", a clan of priests who borrowed the demonic power of their "gods" in order to protect them, their worshippers, and spawn legends by using the power of their gods to defeat the enemy gods. However, those legends are all they are, legends, as the Greek Gods are still around and so are many other gods. What wasn't a legend, was when Sparda came to the island.

Several hundred years ago, Sparda, the demon hero of humanity came to the island in order to aid in exorcising an ancient evil known as Argosax The Chaos who was worshipped by a secret tribe of people among the inhabitants of Dumary Island. Sparda used the Arcanas with the help of the Protectorate clan to seal the great devil, and although he was temporarily trapped within the Demonworld after the final battle with Argosax, he eventually returned to the human world.

In the following couple of decades, the multinational public corporation Uroboros, headed by the modern-day sorcerer/multimillionaire Arius, had begun to build their own official city along with some of their factories and an offshore oil-rig. A trivalent, combined-tower skyscraper called the "Skyscraper Sanctum" on the upper west side of Vie de Marli served as the headquarters. The pretext of being on the island was to acquire the "special ores" hidden within the island's mountains; however, their true purpose is to recover the fabled Arcanas and release Argosax, obtaining his power and rule the Earth. That was until Dante got involved.

"How exactly do you know about this place again?" asked Nero glancing over his shoulder at Dante who was leaning against the railing of the boat they were using. The son of Sparda's nephew was standing at the bow, arms folded as they got closer to the island. It was getting close to five in the afternoon and the sun was starting to dip towards the horizon.

Lady was still in the wheelhouse, along with Trish, while Saeko was on the port side of the boat.

"Little after we had our run-in back in Fortuna, I got another job," explained the older hunter, getting off the railing and stepped towards his nephew to stand beside him at the bow, "during which, I ran into Lucia. We had a little chat and she invited me to this island."

"And you just agreed?" asked Nero bluntly, glancing at his uncle.

"In retrospect, kinda dumb," chuckled Dante.

"No, playing poker against Patty with your luck is dumb," snorted the youngest hunter, "Listening to a complete stranger who asks _'Hey, you're pretty strong, would you come to my island for a little chat?'_ is just plain stupid."

"Turned out pretty well regardless," shrugged the veteran demon hunter, causing Nero to roll his eyes, "Anyway, once we got here, Lucia introduced me to her mother, Matier. Turns out, she fought with my old man back in the day."

Now that caught Nero's attention as he turned to Dante with an arched eyebrow. He remembered back when he went to school in Fortuna that Sparda got around during his time in the human world. Even ruling over Fortuna as a feudal lord temporarily. Which made it a little confusing as to how Sparda was unknown to the Greek Gods, even with their pride, they should've heard something about a demon traveling the world, saving humanity.

He'll think about that later.

"What exactly were they up against?" asked the hunter. Before Dante could answer, the boat they were using bumped against the dock.

"I'll tell you later," promised Dante as he headed towards the back of the ship, "Just gotta grab some stuff then we can find Matier and Lucia."

"Never really told me who they were," reminded Nero as he followed his uncle.

"They'll introduce themselves when we find them," responded Dante as he ducked into a hallway and into one of the cabins inside the boat. Nero rolled his eyes as he remained on the deck outside. Turning away, he took in the appearance of the island.

Connected to the dock was a pathway which led to a European-style village that had a pretty large clocktower. It was pretty large, but what was connected to it made him wonder how the hell the Greeks didn't notice this. A half modern, half medieval city with its own train station was located next to the village and seemed to be doing pretty well for itself.

"How the hell do the gods let something like this slip past them?" muttered Nero to himself, folding his arms.

"Mortal affairs are often beneath the notice of most gods," said Saeko suddenly, causing the hunter to turn around and see the girl approaching him to stand by his side, "This is especially true with the Greek Pantheon. The ancient Greeks placed great value on one's beauty, viewing it as the most important aspect of their character."

"So vanity and arrogance blinded them to what was going on around them," snorted the youngest demon hunter, "Figured as much, but still, forgetting about an entire island? Goes to show just how easy it is for them to get blinded by their own arrogance."

"While most of the Greek Deities allow their emotions to control them, there are some that are not like their siblings and family," admonished Saeko.

"Doesn't really excuse them of screwing over thousands of innocent people because their feelings got hurt," countered Nero as he turned to the purple-haired girl.

"Perhaps," conceded Saeko, as she looked off to the side, towards the village. She stepped towards the railing to rest her elbows on it and just look out across the area.

Nero just stared at her for a moment, her hair gently blowing in the breeze. The hunter continued to look at her, taking in her entire appearance. By all means, she was very attractive. He didn't know how long he was looking at her but was shaken out of his gaze when Lady called to him.

"Hey, Nero!" called out the older hunter.

Nero flinched as he jolted out of what he was doing and turned to the woman in question. Saeko herself was also a little startled by the sudden shout.

"What?" he answered.

"You gonna get your stuff or not?" asked Lady from the wheelhouse, leaning out the window. Trish had disappeared, he assumed below deck to get some stuff.

"Any reason why I should?"

"We're going to an island that used to be home to one of the top dogs of the Demonworld and we're going with Dante," deadpanned Lady.

"Fair enough," shrugged Nero as he headed below deck with Saeko following behind him. Watching the two leave, Lady let out a very, well, _unladylike,_ snort as she herself went to her room to get her gear.

"Guess Trish was right," she hummed to herself entering her room and started to gear up, "Looks like Nero does have a small crush."

A part of her hoped, like Trish, that Nero would be able to move on from what happened. It wouldn't do him any good to keep blaming himself during that job; in no way was it his fault, but he still blamed himself for it.

_'He's more like his dad then he knows,'_ thought Lady, recalling when she ran into Dante's brother. That experience was less than stellar and the outcome had of what happened, even more so.

Little did they know that they weren't the only ones about to experience something less than stellar that was related to demons.

* * *

_**Camp Half-Blood, Montauk, Long Island, New York**_

A mess, that was all that could have been really described that terrible day in Camp history. A complete, fucking mess.

Camp Half-Blood had nearly been completely razed by the demonic attack and left completely crippled. Among the two hundred campers that had once lived there, now there were only roughly one hundred and twenty campers still alive. Families had been notified about the deaths of their children and plenty of them were far from happy. In fact, some families were even taking their children out of Camp, believing it was safer with them than the camp. This, of course, led to many disputes. Those that remained in the camp helped rebuild their home away from home.

"It's a complete mess all this," snorted Dionysus as he sat in his usual chair on the Big Houses' deck, or what was left of the Big House. He and Chiron had been through a lot of tough scrapes, but what happened barely a month ago topped all of them.

"It is," nodded Chiron, sitting in his wheelchair, one of the few things that survived the attack. The Olympian and the Centaur were both looking out across the camp, which was entering the final stages of reconstruction.

"Hard to believe that the kid is Hestia's," muttered the god bitterly, taking a sip of his diet coke. Chiron said nothing as he looked in the direction of the hearth. Knowing that Hestia was still absent.

"How is she doing?" asked the camp activities director.

"Still holed up at her place," sighed Dionysus, "Refuses to speak to anyone. Whatever that damn kid said to her really did something."

"There are rumors spreading through the camp that the boy is a demon," stated the centaur suddenly.

"Yeah, well the rumors are true," replied the deity sharply, "Saw that kid's arm. That wasn't a normal arm, not to mention what he did next when he took on that demon."

Chiron was one of the few that had been informed by the gods of what happened when Nero fought the demon king, Excelsus. The amount of power that boy held was staggering. Even more so, the boy's ancestry. Along with that development, he had also been told of the prophecy that had been given to the gods in Mount Olympus. A demon declaring war not only on the Greek Pantheon but all pantheons across the world.

_'A frightening thought,'_ said Chiron mentally as he looked down at his hands. He had seen battle hundreds, even thousands of times and fought monsters humanity only thought as myths. But what he fought that terrible day, it was out of his worst nightmares.

"How goes the search?" asked the director, temporarily changing subjects.

"On top of pretty much every single monster rearing its face the second the kid closed the gateway, you'd have better luck than Artemis," snorted Dionysus. Sure enough, monsters across the entire country had grown even bolder, attacking without warning or reason. Athena had been finding more reports of attacks across the nation in the last week than the last century, "Heard even Poseidon has his work cut out dealing with monsters randomly attacking."

"What does your father plan to do when he finds Nero?" asked Chiron.

"Not sure, but I can tell, it's nothing good," snorted Dionysus, "Kid deserves it after all the shit that he's said, everything he's put the camp through, not mention what he said to Hestia."

"He did come back," reminded the director, "He had no reason to come back at all and yet he did."

"Not sure that's gonna matter to dad," countered the deity. But before anymore speculation between the two, a mass of darkness began to collect to their right. The two watched as the mass of shadows began to recede and reveal Hades.

"Lord Hades," bowed Chiron, turning his wheelchair to the eldest son of Kronos while Dionysus stood up from his chair.

"Didn't expect to see you here, uncle," commented Hades' nephew, however, his eyes narrowed when he saw the cheap clothing the ruler of the underworld was wearing, "The heck are you wearing?"

"Dionysus," interrupted Hades suddenly, catching the head of Camp Half-Blood off guard, "I need to speak with you on Mount Olympus. There is something that I must discuss with you."

"With all due respect, uncle, I'm kinda busy right now," countered Dionysus, "Got a camp to look over right now."

"Dionysus," repeated Hades, his tone sharper, causing Dionysus to flinch slightly, but he swore he could hear some pleading/desperation in his uncle's words, "I need to speak with you on Mount Olympus."

The ruler of the Underworld walked towards the deity, and leaned over to his ear, "Excelsus, ordered me to."

That sentence alone caused Dionysus to adopted a shocked expression. He could see it now in his uncle's eyes. The fear and desperation within them. Excelsus had done something to him and now he had no choice but to do as he was ordered. Chiron's own eyes widened in surprise and shock when he heard the name of the Demon King spoken by Hades.

"Right," nodded Dionysus, "Let's go."

"There is something else I must do first," stated Hades, his body dissolving into shadows once more, "I will speak to you momentarily."

Sure enough, Hades vanished, leaving Chiron and Dionysus alone on the porch of the Big House. Something was very, _very_ wrong.

Watching from the edge of Camp Half-Blood was Excelsus, in his human form to avoid drawing attention. A snort of amusement came from him as he watched Dionysus vanish in a flash of light, leaving the old centaur alone. A part of him was tempted to raze the camp once more, but he wanted to win. He wanted to succeed where his father failed, and to do that, he must remain calm and collected.

"The stage is set and players are on their way," said the son of Mundus to himself as he turned his back to the camp and started to walk away, a violet portal opened, "Now it is only a matter of patience."

Excelsus stepped through the portal which snapped shut behind him.

* * *

_**Mount Olympus, New York City, New York**_

Sure enough, one by one, the gods arrived on Mount Olympus. The first being Dionysus, followed by Demeter, Athena, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Hera. The next bunch to follow were Hermes, Apollo, Artemis, Poseidon, Zeus, and lastly Hestia. The gods were all gathered in the throne room while Hestia sat silently by the hearth. Each deity had gathered within the throne room, which had been repaired thanks to the efforts of Hephaestus.

"I don't get it, why did uncle call us all here?" asked Apollo suddenly, he knew full well that Excelsus had something to do with this but the purpose of them gathering here was still beyond him.

"My brother stated that Excelsus ordered him," stated Zeus, "However, he did not reveal the purpose of which we were called."

"Wouldn't it have been easier to just call for a meeting?" asked Demeter.

"Hades lacks the authority to call for a council," interjected Hera, "That authority lies with the King."

Sure enough, that was true, the only one on Olympus that had the authority to call for a meeting of all the Olympians was the King himself.

"Even still, why did he call us here?" asked Poseidon, getting tired of waiting for so long.

"I'm with uncle," commented Ares, getting fed up with waiting, "If this is just a prank, then it's not very funny."

Suddenly, Hades entered the council room through the doors.

"Finally," exasperated Apollo.

"Brother, why have you gathered us here?" demanded Zeus, looking not to pleased he had been dragged her to the throne room. The ruler of the underworld remained silent for a second as he went to his usual corner, head hanging down.

"Excelsus and his demons attacked the underworld," began Hades, somberly, but that sentence alone caught all the gods by surprise.

"What did you say?" demanded the youngest son of Kronos, not sure if he wanted to believe his ears.

"I said that my home was assaulted by the same monster which attacked the camp," repeated Hades, bitterly, "My forces stood no chance against Excelsus and his own."

"How was he even able to enter the Underworld?" asked Hera, almost as shocked as any other god in the room.

"He stated that as a demon, he can travel anywhere in the human world, including the underworld," explained Hades, he then looked at his brothers, "the underworld, the sea, and the sky were all part of the human world before we divided them into our own domains. He explained that our domains do not technically lie outside the mortal realm and therefore, he can enter."

"Which explains how the demons were able to leave and go to our children's camp," realized Athena, cursing herself for forgetting such details. Her father's and uncles' domains are still made of earthly materials and can still be accessed by mortals. The only reason they can't is due to the Olympians' power.

"Is this a threat from, Excelsus?" demanded Zeus, "To make us realize that nowhere is safe from him?"

"No, that was not his purpose," stated his brother, "Instead, he merely told me that a topic for us to discuss is 'fate'."

Now that got everyone's attention. Ever since the attack, all other prophecies had been put on hold, especially the one involving Percy Jackson and would be addressed later. Regarding the boy and the previous accusation that he stole Hades's helm and Zeus's master bolt, they had been dropped when Ares handed both over.

"What does he mean by that?" asked Artemis.

"Excelsus did not say, that it was only a topic for us to discuss," answered Hades.

"Perhaps, he wants us to look into the future?" offered Demeter.

"Yes, but why?" countered Hephaestus. A few moments past before Artemis thought of one name.

"Nero," she said, mainly to herself but was still heard by a few gods and goddesses.

"What did you say?" demanded Zeus, his patience already very short. Artemis looked at her father for a moment, eyes narrowed slightly before she spoke again.

"Nero," the name a bit louder this time. Everyone's attention immediately fell onto Hestia who looked up and at her niece, "Perhaps he wants us to look into the future of Nero."

The room was silent for a few seconds, Hestia just looked at Artemis during that time. Clearing his throat, Zeus turned to Apollo, "Apollo, I order you to look into Nero's future."

Hestia was about to object, however, Apollo really didn't want to be on the receiving end of his father's anger and did as he was told. He closed his eyes, however, he then began to tighten them slightly before his eyes snapped wide open.

"I can't," he said softly, completely shocked.

"What do you mean you can't?" demanded Zeus angrily.

"I mean I can't because there is no one future regarding Hestia's son," clarified Apollo, his tone a bit fearful.

"Explain."

"It's like his entire future has been fractured, splitting off into dozens of different paths," elaborated the son of Zeus, "As if something has damaged his connection to fate."

"How is that possible?" asked Athena, "How can be possible that something is beyond the control of the Fates?"

_**"A**_**_HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahaha,"_** a terrible, booming laugh echoed through the entire council room, causing every single olympian to shoot to their feet, _**"They would like you to think that, the Fates."**_

"Who dares speak!" demanded Zeus, looking around wildly for the owner of the voice.

_**"The Fates only show you what they deem to be in their best interests and not the full outcome of one's actions,"**_ continued the dark voice, the atmosphere becoming colder and oppressive, _**"They show you what you want to see and only what you want, but they do not share all of it."**_

Suddenly, the doors to the council room burst open, flying off their hinges and casting a massive cloud of smoke into the room. The Olympians shielded themselves from the blast before looking back. Strolling into the room, Excelsus entered in his full demonic form. At the moment, he was the tallest entity in the room as the gods are capable of changing their form and size at will.

_**"I want to show you all something beautiful,"**_ monologue the demon. Suddenly, his followers appeared around the room, forcing the gods to step away as six of the seven devils had weapons drawn, _**"Humans, demigods, monsters, and the gods themselves; all screaming, for mercy."**_

"How dare you defile these grounds!" shouted Zeus in outrage.

**_"Not very kingly to lose your composure, Zeus,"_** taunted Excelsus, he then gestured around to all the gods, _**"And all of you; you all want to remain in power, yet you refuse to change with the times."**_

"Why are you doing this?" demanded Athena, her body shining brightly for a second before revealing the goddess in full armor and a spear in hand.

_**"To bring about a world that is not ruled by children,"**_ stated Excelsus calmly, however, that sentence alone caused most of the gods to adopt angered expressions, _**"You're all children who believe they are above consequences because they think they know what is to come and act only when it is in their interests. Growing fat on their pride, having never been forced to struggle for anything you desired for dozens of millennia."**_

"And what, you have?" demanded Ares as he summoned his sword.

_**"I have, son of Zeus,"**_ answered the demon king without hesitation, he then turned Hades, **_"And you, I ordered you to tell your siblings to gather at Olympus and only suggest the topic of fate."_**

"And I did as you ordered!" shouted Hades, "Now release my wife!"

"Hades, is that why you gathered us here?" asked Poseidon, surprise crossing his face and the faces of the other gods. Excelsus had his wife.

_**"The deal was that you only gather the Olympians and suggest the topic of fate and only such. You revealed events prior to the gathering and thus violating our agreement,"**_ stated the demon king coldly, **_"The consequences will come later, Hades."_**

Excelsus then turned to the rest of the Greek Pantheon, _**"But back to the matter at hand. You all cling to the illusions of fate and prophecies."**_

"The future is not ours to command, demon!" shouted Hera.

**_"Is that what you believe, daughter of Kronos?"_** asked the demon, almost daring her to think about it.

"It is a fact," interjected Athena.

_**"It is only a fact in your mind, pagan,"**_ stated Excelsus sharply, causing the goddess of wisdom to flinch, _**"And it is for that reason that makes you unfit to rule this world. Children and puppets, tangled in strings."**_

Excelsus then raised his right hand, causing all the deities to tense as an orb of demonic energy formed. The orb then faded away and revealed Hades's Helm of Darkness. The demon king then gripped the helmet looking at it in the palm of his hands.

_**"STRINGS."**_

What happened next shocked every single deity. With what they assumed was barely any effort, Excelsus crushed the helm of darkness like a tin can. Shadows began to pour out of the crushed remains while thunder echoed outside the council room. The demon then casually tossed it to the feet of Hades, who looked down at the crushed remains in disbelief.

_**"However, revealing to you all just how pitiful your kind truly is, is not the reason I am here today,"**_ picked up the son of Mundus, _**"Rather, I am here to reveal one simple fact to you all. You all think this is the first time you encountered an entity of my kind."**_

Excelsus then entered a combat stance, in both hands, energy began collecting before forming a sword and shield, _**"Think again."**_

Excelsus then launched himself right at Zeus, catching the son of Kronos completely off guard. The demon and the Olympian smashed through the wall at the opposite end of the council room and flew outside.

"Zeus!" shouted Hera as she watched her husband get dragged outside.

_**"Pay attention, pagan!" **_shouted Gore Magala as the demon lunged at the deity, the wings on his shoulders flaring out to reveal large claws. The wife of Zeus was grabbed by the shoulders with these arms and thrown across the room. Poseidon tried attacking with his trident but was stopped when the demon of envy grabbed the shaft with his two normal hands. The large wing claws grabbed the god of the sea by the waist and hurled him into the hearth.

Apollo and Artemis tried rushing to their uncle's side but were suddenly stopped by Valfalk's katana. The demon intercepted both deities and knocked them back with two precise slashes. The demon's attention then fell onto Hermes.

_**"Mind if I have this dance?"**_ challenged the devil in a cocky manner. He then sheathed his katana and leaped right at the deity, closing the distance with blinding speed. The greek god had to use his Caduceus to actually block the merciless slash at him.

Soon, the entire council room evolved into combat between the greek pantheon and demonic kind. The only one who wasn't fighting was Hestia as she had never been a fighter. She could only watch as her family was clearly getting beaten by these monsters.

* * *

_Elsewhere..._

The fight between Excelsus and the King of Olympus had evolved into the demon flying through a massive storm above New York. Zeus used his godly power to change his form into said storm. However, even with the high winds and rain, it did nothing to slow down the devil. Instead, it only encouraged him to fight on. The son of Mundus used his sword and shield to block lightning bolts hurled his way by the son of Kronos.

_**"You must admit, Zeus,"**_ chuckled Excelsus as he flew through the air, dodging lightning and blasts of wind from the go, _**"You missed the feeling of battle."**_

_'I WILL NOT MISS YOU, WELP!'_ shouted Zeus angrily through the storm, thunder booming all around while lightning continued to lash out at Excelsus, only to be blocked each time.

_**"A childish**** response,"**_ snorted the demon king, almost disappointed as he expected a better comeback from the deity. Excelsus continued to dodge or block every attack thrown his way before retaliating with a blast of demonic energy. The blast slammed into a cloud, causing Zeus to reform for a second.

_**"As powerful as you are, Zeus, you're strategy is pitiful,"**_ stated Excelsus harshly as he flew right at the deity, smashing right into Zeus and headed right towards the ground. The demon and king collided with the street, sending debris everywhere while cars and mortals fled for safety.

Zeus was blasted out of the crater by Excelsus, the demon flying after the god, dismissing both his weapons to grab the Olympian by the throat. With a tight hold on the King of Olympus, Excelsus flew down to the street and dragged Zeus through the road before spinning around and hurling him back towards the Empire State building.

The king of Olympus flew towards the top of the building. Excelsus gave chase and smashed him through the barrier between Olympus and the rest of the world. Once back inside, the demon began flying through all the buildings, smash Zeus into whatever one he could find. Excelsus then threw the god into the air and clenched his fist.

Zeus halted immediately in place, growling as it felt like his body was being crushed by an invisible force.

_**"Pathetic,"**_ snarled Excelsus as he threw Zeus back towards the main palace where the council room was located. The deity smashed into the building with the demon following close behind.

* * *

Inside the building, Hestia let out a shout of surprise when she saw her brother smash through the ceiling and onto the floor right in front of his throne. Her eyes widened in fear as she saw the state he was in. Cuts all over his body, as well as several other injuries. The King of Olympus coughed up some ichor from his mouth, his cuts and injuries also bleeding out golden blood.

Hestia was about to rush to her brother's side when a blur slammed into Zeus, shattering the floor. Excelsus pummeled the deity into the floor with merciless blows, the son of Kronos crying out in pain every single time.

Zeus tried to retaliate with the Master Bolt, but the weapon was blasted out of his hand by Excelsus.

_**"The only reason you rule Olympus is because of that weapon, Zeus,"**_ stated Excelsus as he grabbed Zeus by the throat and lifted him into the air, _**"Without it, you are nothing!"**_

The demon king hurled the pagan god across the room, smashing into a marble pillar, shattering it in the process before stalking towards him.

_**"Your pride and arrogance have made you weak!"**_ the demon slammed his boot onto the center of Zeus's back, cracking the ground while also causing Zeus to cough up more ichor.

_**"To think, my father made a deal with your own,"**_ spat Excelsus, however, that sentence caught Zeus's attention.

"W-What?" coughed Zeus as he rolled onto his back, blood dripping from his nose, forehead, and mouth. Ichor stained his beard as Excelsus stood over.

_**"So he never told you?"**_ chuckled Excelsus darkly, _**"Not surprising, Kronos has always been a coward at heart."**_

**_"But that does not matter now. I will have what Kronos promised my father, Mundus, Zeus,"_** the demon then stepped off of Zeus and turned to leave, **_"I will not kill you now or any of your family, speaking of which..."_**

The demon king snapped his fingers and a portal opened up in front of him. From the portal, a familiar person emerged.

"Persephone!" gasped Hestia as she saw her niece stumble out. Her clothing was ruined beyond repair and there were signs of injury. Her face had signs that she was crying, sobbing to be precise. The goddess of the hearth rushed over to her family and caught her before Persephone could fall.

_**"I will have what Kronos promised my father,** **Zeus," **_repeated Excelsus, snapping his finger again, and suddenly, all the demons that had been fighting converged on the portal, each one passing through while the Olympians chased behind, only to stop when they saw the state Zeus was in. Hades immediately rushed to his wife's side, who embraced him quickly while Hestia remained close by. The goddess of the hearth looked at Excelsus who turned back to face the Greek Gods.

**_"But I want you and all your kind to watch as their worlds fall, while mine rises,"_** stated the demon as he stepped back into the portal which closed behind him.

None of the gods said anything for some time, that was until Zeus spoke up.

"This all started with that boy," seethed the King of Olympus while Hera helped him to his feet, "Artemis."

"Yes, father," the goddess, who was looking worse for wear turned to him.

"Hunt Nero down and bring him here by any means!" Zeus's voice trembled with fury, "I don't care how you do it, just bring him here!"

Artemis only nodded before she vanished in a flash of silver.

"This is not over," swore the son of Kronos. The gods could only glance at one another and wondered if they could actually do this. However, what none of them noticed was that Hestia had vanished from the council room.

* * *

_**Vie de Marli, Village, Carribean**_

Getting to the village had been surprisingly pleasant, given the island's history for demons. The hunters were heading to Matier's home where Dante knew both Matier and Lucia would be. It was during their small journey did Nero and Saeko talk a little bit, but not about anything in particular. Little did either of them know was that Trish and Lady shared a small glance at each other, both mentally agreeing that there was chemistry between them, even if they don't know it yet.

"Hey, Dante!" called out Nero, getting the lead hunter's attention as he glanced back, "You even know if either of them is home, or even if they will help us?"

"You're the one with the vision, kid," reminded Dante, "You tell me if they help."

"Right," snorted Nero, rolling his eyes. It was when the group made their way up a hill did they arrive at a small cottage. Standing outside the cottage was two familiar faces, or at least, familiar to Dante.

One was a tall, lithe, and attractive woman with tan skin. She wore her bright red hair in a braid over her left shoulder. The most notable pieces of her wardrobe are her short, white cape and her exposed midriff. She also has deep emerald green eyes, which help accent both her tanned skin and bright red hair. She wears brown leather gloves that have a white lining, and various brown leather gear on her outfit: the holsters for her blades, the pouches for her throwing knives, as well as a series of leather clasps to help keep her cape in place.

Next to her was a short, frail old woman, with tan skin and deep, green eyes. She wore a white-colored knit cap on her head with bronze bells on each side, a dark green robe with white patterns encircling the wrists and base, and brown, open-toed sandals. Numerous bracelets are worn on her wrists, and a red, beaded sash is wrapped over her right shoulder.

_'Exactly like the vision,'_ noted Nero when he saw both women.

"Lucia, Matier," greeted Dante, approaching the two, "It's been a while."

"Long enough for you to forget your manners," countered Matier as she swatted his right arm.

"Hey, watch the coat," snapped Dante, giving her a small glare. He then directed his attention to Lucia, "Been a while, Lucia."

"It has, Dante," replied the redhead, a small smile gracing her lips, "but what brings you all the way out here?"

Dante glanced back at Nero, the younger hunter giving him a nod.

"Well, let's say it's quite the story. The kind where we're gonna wanna take a seat to explain," began Dante.

Matier narrowed her eyes, while Lucia sighed, rolling her eyes while resting her left hand on her hip. What had Dante gotten himself into this time?

_**To Be Continued...**_


	6. Chapter 6 Ancient and New Vows

_**And here we are, chapter 6 and the point in the story I know most of you have been waiting for. The explanation of the deal between Kronos and Mundus. Trust me, I've been giving this moment a ton of thought and I promise you it will make sense. Also, I'm still debating whether or not I should integrate Slayer's Return into Godly Demon or just leave it autonomous. The poll is favoring that I keep it as a separate story and if that's the case, I will respect that, but just be aware that I am open to making this a single, very long, story.**_

_**Moving on.**_

_**If you noticed at the beginning of the previous chapter, I mentioned that I would be including events from DMC 5: Before the Nightmare and I still plan to do that. If you read the novel you would know about one unique detail about Dante in that book, specifically what he gains in it. If you haven't, well, I hope you enjoy this adaptation of it in the next chapter.**_

_**Now, to answer some reviews from the previous chapter.**_

_**Dragon Bone Z: No, the gods won't be getting Devil Arms and Hades's helm is gone.**_

_**MEleeSmasher: I will have short moments between Nero and Artemis later on, but the pairing will remain as it is, him with Saeko. Artemis will have a crush on him and that's that. They might become friends, but that remains to be seen and how I go about this story. Things can change as time and the story progresses.**_

**_Guest: I can assure you that Nero will most certainly have a rival. Might not be Greek but he will have someone that he will be at odds with._**

_**Also, I'd like to thank The High Demon Lord for the response to my question. I really appreciate the explanation.**_

**_One more thing. There will be a lemon in this chapter near the beginning. It will be slightly longer, may even make up most of the chapter, so sorry about that to specific readers who enjoy the story more than specific parts. However, I would like to make a small clarification as to Nerscylla's appearance. In her human form, Nerscylla has the same build as Queen Mirelia Q Melromarc from Rising of the Shield Hero and similar facial features to the Queen. I hope that narrows down her appearance a bit more. Also, like Wrath of The Sun Deity asked, I'm kinda curious to see what kind of art some might make of her._**

**_...For educational purposes... I'm not a degenerate!_**

**_*COUGH* Anyway..._**

**_This chapter will be longer than in previous chapters. Most of the chapters were approximately six thousand to six-thousand five hundred words each. So, this may be longer than those with the impending sex scenes coming up. I'm considering making future chapters longer, adding more details and content instead of just posting a new chapter all the time. I could go back and even combine the events of chapters three, four, and five, and just make it into two chapters, but I'm not certain. Let me know what you think I should do._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing. Capcom owns Devil May Cry, Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson. _**

**_Onto the story._**

* * *

_**Devil May Cry: Slayer's Return**_

_**Chapter 6: Ancient and New Vows**_

_**Ancient Castle, Mallet Island**_

Ever since Excelsus and his forces made the Ancient Castle on Mallet Island their headquarters, slowly but surely, repairs were being made to the once-mighty fortress. Taking Nerscylla's advice, Excelsus ordered dozens of lesser demons to begin restoration of the great building. Large sections of the medieval structure had been repaired during the current Demon King's absence but for the most part, the entire structure needed a lot of work. However, one section, a bridge that used to connect to another wing of the castle that was currently rubble at the bottom of the ocean had been purposefully left unrepaired. It was at this endpoint did a dark lilac portal appear.

Six of the Seven Sins emerged onto the stone bridge, each one assuming their human forms with Excelsus entering last and doing the same. The castle had been built by humans years ago before Mundus took over the structure for his own plans to invade the human world. So, per their king's order, they had to be in their human forms when inside the castle.

"That went well," commented Excelsus as he shrank in size to his human form and removed his helmet.

"Why couldn't we take something back with us?" asked Kulve, folding her arms, a little annoyed she couldn't take anything of value back with her.

"Because there was no need to," interjected Valfalk, a bemused tone in his words, "You'd think you would have enough after lotting Hades' palace for anything of value and piled it up in one of the lower dungeons."

"It's not like they need any of it," pouted the demon representing greed.

"Well, at least our shared mission was accomplished," rasped Gore Magala, "And now, all that is needed is for our king to give us our next task."

All six demons turned to their master, who was inspecting his armor for a moment. He felt their eyes on him for a second before glancing to see them waiting patiently.

"For now, there is no mission, other than to watch and wait," he commanded. This earned him a few confused expressions. Seeing this, Excelsus let out a sigh, knowing he was going to have to explain this to them, "As you know, I have studied the gods and goddesses of every relevant pantheon; pagan or otherwise, and I know for a fact that despite being called, and I quote: "God of the Sky, Thunder, Lightning, Kingship, Honor and Justice", the only justice the _good_ king upholds is his own. For all his so-called _justice_ he was so quick to blame Poseidon's son, Perseus Jackson, when his Master Bolt was stolen, despite the time of the theft occurring before the boy was even remotely aware of his lineage."

"He lets his pride and arrogance as a god blind him to facts," Valfalk concurred, folding his arms, a snort of amusement coming from him.

"Because of his wounded pride, he blames Nero for the attack, despite the boy not even knowing about it," smiled Excelsus, "Our attack on Olympus was not to defeat the gods and goddesses of the Greek Pantheon, but rather, stoke the fire of Zeus's growing fury of being bested multiple times. And all that anger will be directed at Nero whom he deems the reason behind all of his misfortune."

"I think I like this plan," chuckled Narkarkos, who was more than on board with the idea of letting their enemies tear themselves apart. Less work for them.

"I would not get too comfortable, Narkarkos," admonished Excelsus, a small frown forming as he headed towards the castle, the devils following behind. A pair of massive wooden doors opened. Upon entering the castle, there were numerous lesser demons going about repairing or cleaning the structure, and all of them in some sort of human form and each one dressed as a maid or butler. The more feral demons or ones that can't form any real thought were left in the dungeons beneath the castle.

"Why is that?" snorted the devil representing sloth, "Seems like you have all this figured out, so what's there to worry?"

"For starters, your view on the situation," replied the Demon King sharply as he and the sin made their way to the throne room, "The idea that we've already won, that sort of pride and arrogance."

Excelsus stopped just in front of the doors to the throne room and turned to face his trusted lieutenants, "Yes, we achieved our goal and caused Zeus to attack our foes, but that was one battle. There is no guarantee that we are to succeed. My father believed that by using a construct in the form of Dante's mother, he could trick the son of Sparda into coming right into his hands and he nearly succeeded. What he did not account for was the interaction between Trish and Dante. He believed victory was in his hands and was punished for his arrogance. I will _not_ make that mistake."

"And how do you plan to do that, master?" asked Valfalk, folding his arms. He would admit, Mundus had Dante in his hands and somehow, Trish turned on him by saving Dante at the last second.

"All will be revealed in time, my dear Valfalk," chuckled Excelsus as he approached his number 2 and placed his left hand on the demon's right shoulder, "There is a method to my madness. For the moment, however, indulge yourselves in the castle grounds. I do believe that it is time for you, Kulve, to dive into your _'Money Bin'_."

The demoness representing greed shot her master a light glare at the jab while the male demons all chuckled, "Very funny master."

"I'm glad you thought so," teased the demon king.

"But there is one thing that's been bothering me."

"What is it?" asked Excelsus.

"You and all that taunting on Olympus," recalled Kulve Taroth, as she cocked her hip to left and rested her hand on it, "Not really your style to be so condescending and cynical."

"Oh that," waved off the son of Mundus as he turned to the doors leading, "I was feeling _theatrical_."

"I'm kinda wondering what Nerscylla's been doing since you took her toy away," commented Deviljho as the doors started opening.

"What was that last thing?" asked Excelsus, his eyes widening suddenly as he turned to the demon of gluttony. Before the green devil could answer, a strand of silk latched right onto the demon king's left arm. What came out of the demon could only be described as a surprised yelp as he was yanked right into the throne room, his helmet coming out of his hold and left where he previously was in the air to spin for a moment before falling to the ground with a dull clank.

"Guess that answers that question," snarked Nergigante as he and the sins looked in to see Nerscllya, sitting on the short staircase of about five steps which led up to the platform Excelsus's throne was located, with the aforementioned Demon King in her clutches. A band of web was wrapped around his torso, pinning his arms to his body. The spider demoness even had her spidery legs wrapped around him, along with her human legs around his waist while her arms were affectionately coiled around his neck.

"Master, you're so mean," admonished the demon of lust playfully, gently drawing small circles on his neck with her right finger, "Taking my toy away from me all of a sudden."

"Nerscylla!" shouted Excelsus, clearly surprised by the sudden pull into the arms of the kinky demoness and the subsequent restraints, "What is the meaning of this!?"

"Oh, don't be that way, master," purred the purplette sensually as she planted a few delicate kisses on the left side of his neck, "I'm sure you were aware that by taking my toy away, just as we were having some fun, I'd be left all hot and bothered still."

A look of realization soon fell on the demon king's face. He did not think of the outcome of that.

"It appears our master did not," noted Gore Magala, a slight envious undertone in his words. The sins all chuckled, while Nerscylla just continued her actions of teasing her master and Excelsus just sent all the demons across the room a halfhearted glare. Suddenly, the son of Mundus lit up with a violet light before vanishing. Nerscylla let out a disappointed whine before she was suddenly scooped up into the Demon King's arms from behind.

"I did do this, didn't I?" smirked Excelsus as he held the demon of lust in a bridal carry. Nerscylla just giggled excitedly as she threw her right arm across his shoulder and around his neck while her left arm began tracing patterns across his chest plate.

"You have indeed, master," nodded the Demon of Lust, noting the strong tone he used and couldn't help but smile, knowing where this was going.

"Well, I think I'm big enough to accept the consequences."

"Just how big, are you?"

"Let's find out, shall we?" his tone turned a bit heavy, but the kind you'd hear before getting some.

"Let's," agreed Nerscylla as she began planting kisses on his jawline.

"I will otherwise be engaged until further notice," stated Excelsus as he addressed the sins, who all knew where this was going, "Until then, indulge yourselves."

With that, both he and Nerscylla vanished in a similar violet flash. When the light died down, the two were gone.

"I remember when they first laid eyes on each other," snorted Deviljho as he Nergigante began to leave while the other demons began heading off to their own devices, "Made a comment that it wouldn't be long after getting to the human world would the boss plow her."

"I remember you owing me lunch for a bet we made on how could bag more kills during the attack on the Underworld," countered Nergigante, internally enjoying the demon of gluttony curse about losing that bet.

* * *

_**Royal Bedroom, Ancient Castle, Mallet Island**_

_*Lemon start here, skip if you want to*_

A bright flash illuminated the bedroom where Excelsus would often turn to at night. While demons technically didn't need any sleep, it was still nice to rest one's mind and body, but at the moment, it would serve a different purpose. As the light that filled the room faded, it revealed both the aforementioned devil and Nerscylla. The king of the Demonworld set the lovely demon of lust on the floor but remained close to one another.

Nerscylla wanted to get right down to business and leaned right in to kiss Excelsus, trapping his lips with hers. The demoness cupped both of his cheeks as the two of them kissed. While the embraced each other, the king snapped his fingers and his armor vanished in a flash of light before appearing on a stand at the far side of the room. His helmet even appeared and took its place on the very top, leaving Excelsus in only boxers.

Nerscylla moaned in delight as she felt her master's skin and pressed herself right up against his firm body. Excelsus, for his part, rested his hands on her hips. Their kiss started to get a bit more aggressive and greedy. It was after a minute did they pull away from each other, not from lack of oxygen, demons barely touch the stuff, but out of excitement.

With a sultry smile, Nerscylla spun them around so that her back was to the bed and she was in between it and Excelsus. She then stepped back and sat down on the bed, leaving her master to take in her entire, flawless body. The spider-demoness was wearing violet lace lingerie. Numerous patterns were made into the thin fabric of the bra that resembled spider webs and barely covered anything. Along with the bra, was a thin thong that just covered her womanhood and had a small wet patch. And lastly was the garter belt that held up sheer stockings. Her hair was still tied back and her spider legs hugged her body at the moment and only added to her sexual appeal.

"I'm waiting, master," beckoned Nerscylla with one finger, a shameless grin on her face. While her master took in her body, she did the same with his and it was everything she had hoped for: not too muscular, but definitely worthy of ogling, there were a few scars, but that only added to his roughish appearance. His glowing wings then began to recede into his body to avoid getting in the way.

"Now who I am to say no to a request like that?" smiled Excelsus as he approached the lovely spider. The king leaned down to capture Nerscylla's lips with his, using his tongue entry into her mouth. The demoness gladly accepted the intrusion, a sigh of content escaping her as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Taking the initiative, Excelsus placed one hand on Nerscylla's lower back and other behind her head to lean her back onto the bed before continuing his attack. Using his right hand, which was previously on her back, he gently began to rub her hip and waist in a slow, sensuous movement, causing the Demon of Lust to purr in pleasure. Nerscylla entangled her hands into his hair, finding it as soft as she had thought earlier, pulling him down to push his lips even further into her own. Excelsus's left hand moved from the back of her head to her breast where he gently massages it while his right hand returned to her lower back to draw slow circles. Nerscylla let out a moan of pleasure, momentarily breaking their kiss.

"Oh... you're so good, master," purred Nerscllya, her eyes closing as an expression of bliss adorned her face.

"I'm glad you approve," remarked Excelsus teasingly, "Though I will admit, I expected you to be a little more-"

"Kinky?" giggled, the demoness as she cupped Excelsus's cheek, "I can be when I want to. But right now, I want to enjoy all of you, so you can enjoy..."

Nerscylla removed her hand from her king's cheek and used both of her hands to remove her bra. However, she couldn't help but tease him and use one arm to cover her exposed chest. Tossing the article of clothing away, she pulled her arm away to reveal to Excelsus her generously sized breasts, likely triple-D.

"...all of me," concluded Nerscylla, giving Excelsus a sinfully sweet smile. The demon king smiled as he took hold of her left breast, feeling her nipple harden under his palm as he started to fondle her. Pinching the pink nub caused her to moan in ecstasy. Taking a moment to give her a quick peck on the lips, Excelsus started to place a trail of kisses from her lips, across her jawline and neck, down to her collarbone and further down. Nerscylla mewled in pleasure as his kisses continued down to her right breast, ending with a teasing lick. Deciding to tease her a bit more, Excelsus started to circle her pert nipple with his tongue, earning more moans of pleasure. While his mouth was busy, his right hand toyed with Nerscylla's left tit. The demoness continued to moan happily, even wrap her arms around his hand to push him even closer to her breasts, even grinding on his right thigh.

Even though she had been very active in the Demonworld, experiencing pleasures that would more than likely break a human mind, none of that compared to rush of making love to the King of the Demon World. Not only that but the slow, methodical, even tactical approach Excelsus took when pleasuring her breasts allowed her to feel every lick, pinch, nip, kiss, and attempt to pleasure her. She threw her head back and moaned when he gently started to nibble her nipple, her body filling with more and more pleasure as he switched his hand for his mouth and vice-versa on her chest, giving oral attention to her other breast. She had secretly already come on his leg while he was licking her sensitive nubs, and felt another orgasm building within her.

"E-Excelsus... M-Master, I close!" gasped Nerscylla as she continued to grind herself more onto his thigh before she eventually came, staining her panties with sexual fluids. She clutched onto the Demon King's head for a moment before releasing him. He pulled away from the demoness to watch her form tremble in pleasure, panting hard enough to cause her chest to jiggle every time she took a breath.

"Came a little quick, don't you think?" teased Excelsus, only earning a pleased hum from Nerscylla. A short chuckle escaped the king before he moved to his next target. Scooting down further, he was now in line with her clothed womanhood. Quickly, he removed her garter belt and stockings, before removing the violet thong and threw it aside. The King was met with a perfectly shaven and soaking wet pair of lips. Moving in, he gently blew on her womanhood, causing Nerscylla to gasp slightly before moaning in delight. Her eyes then went wide when his lips made contant with her pussy.

"Oh, Excelsus!" moaned Nerscylla, wriggling in pleasure as he tasted her core, noting the distinct sweet taste of her fluids.

Taking it a step further, Excelsus slipped his tongue into her pussy, the result was Nerscylla arching her back and throwing her head back to let out a rather loud moan. Smirking to himself, the Demon King placed his hands on her bountiful ass, squeezing her cheeks gently as he pushed his tongue even deeper, tasting even more of her. For a few minutes, Excelsus tasted Nerscylla's honey and cunt before he pulled out and replaced his tongue with two fingers. He had another target in mind.

"OH, YES MASTER, AH!" moaned Nerscylla as she felt his tongue brush over her clit, even gently suck and lick it while his fingers thrust in and out of her entrance. Moving at a rapid pace, knowing he could faster but didn't want to hurt Nerscylla on accident, Excelsus overloaded the demoness with pleasure, making cum a third.

"EXCELSUS!" screamed the spider lady as her juices sprayed into her master's mouth. After a moment, she came down from her orgasm but still had enough strength. Sitting up, she cupped Excelsus's left cheek with her right hand and pulled him into a sweet kiss, her tongue making it's way into his mouth so that she may taste her own honey. After a minute of tasting herself, Nerscylla pulled away from her master, a strand of saliva connecting their lips.

"My turn, master," stated Nerscylla before rolling them over so that she was now on top.

Giving him a quick kiss like he had before he started his attack, she followed his example and started softly kissing her way down his body, across his broad chest, pecks, and abs before reaching his boxers. Taking notice of the very large tent straining the fabric, Nerscylla smiled before grabbing the hem of his underwear, eyes widening at the sight of his ten-inch erection standing tall and proud. She could see the veins pulsing as it twitched.

"I can see us having a lot of fun in the future, master," said the demon of lust in a teasing tone.

Wrapping her left hand around the tower of meat, she started to slowly move her hand up and down his length, resulting in Excelsus grunting out pleasured noises. She used her other hand to tuck one of her two loose bangs behind her ear, moving it to his thigh as she moved her face closer to the monster of a cock her master wielded.

Excelsus watched as Nerscylla worked his length with a steady pace of head hand, her breath making him shiver slightly. Opening her mouth and sticking put her tongue, the demoness started at the base before moving her way up to the head, earning more pleasure sighs from Excelsus. She then wrapped her mouth around the head, still jacking him off with her right hand. Slowly bobbing her head, the Sin of Lust started to suck him off. The Demon King just laid back and enjoyed the treatment, reaching down to massage her scalp. Nerscylla moaned as her right hand moved from his thigh to her own soaking folds, rubbing her wet lips as she started moving faster. About fifteen minutes into the blowjob, Nerscylla removed her hand from his member and shoved his length as far down her throat as possible. Excelsus hissed in pleasure as he pushed down on her head to assist her, taking full advantage of the deepthroat. This deepthroating last about ten minutes before Excelsus began to feel his release.

"Nerscylla, I'm gonna cum!" The Demon King started before releasing several ropes of semen into her waiting throat. Pulling back slightly, the rest painted her mouth white. After a moment, Nerscylla pulled back and swallowed all of his seed before opening her mouth afterward to show she had taken it all.

"I seem to recall you enjoyed my breasts quite a bit, master," teased Nerscylla as she scooted up slightly, "If you really like them so much, I think you'll like this quite a bit."

Taking hold of her breasts in her hands, she wrapped them around his still hard member. Excelsus sighed in pleasure, his grip on the sheets tightening as Nerscylla took his head into her mouth again. For about twenty minutes, Nerscylla sucked on the two inches of cock that poked out from her breasts while using massaging the rest of her master's penis with her breasts. Soon, Excelsus came again, Nerscylla greedily taking all of his seed and giggle excitedly that he was still hard.

"You can still go?" purred Nerscylla with a smile, "Good, I want to have as much fun as we can. I knew that I was in for something exciting when I swore loyalty to you, and it appears we'll do so. Much. _More._"

Crawling on top of him, Nerscylla moved so that her entrance was in line with the tip of his cock, "Now, fuck me!" she demanded, undoing her hair to let it flow around her like a purple aura.

"Now that is an order I don't mind to follow," smirked Excelsus as he lined up his tip with her entrance. Once the head made contact with her opening, he gently pushed in, Nerscylla biting her lip in anticipation before he buried himself all the way into her with one quick movement.

"AAAHHHH!" cried out Nerscylla in pleasure, feeling her lips quiver as they stretched out for his massive girth. Her entire body trembled in sweet pleasure, frozen in their cowgirl position. After a moment to adjust, Nerscylla then leaned down immediately to plant dozens of kisses on Excelsus's lips, the King returning the favor before thrusting into her.

"Yes!" gasped Nerscylla between kiss before going for another, "Fuck me! Fuck me hard!"

Starting at a slow pace but no less powerful, Excelsus would pull almost all the way out before slamming into her cervix. While they kissed, the Demon King's hands went to her breasts to massage her nipples and tug on them gently. Nerscylla broke the kiss to bury her face into the crook of his neck as Excelsus flipped them over so they were back in their original position. Slowly, he began to speed up.

Wet slapping sounds of flesh filled the bedroom, along with the smell of sweat and sex, the two demons enjoying the other's body to the fullest. Nerscylla held onto him for dear life as he plowed his member into the deepest parts of her cunt. The sin of lust wished this feeling of nirvana would never end as Excelsus delivered his ten inches of flesh into her waiting body.

The demoness was letting out a string of pants, gasps, and pleads for more and Excelsus was more than willing to supply. Her pussy was so tight and warm, each movement causing her to clamp down on him, creating an even tighter fleshy pocket for him to ram himself into.

"Fuck me!" cried out Nerscylla as she wrapped her legs around his waist as Excelsus began to strike her G-spot. The demon king let out a primal growl as he bucked harder into her. They continued for well over what felt like an hour, maybe even longer. It wasn't until Nerscylla began kissing his lips frantically did she feel her orgasm coming.

"M-Master, I'm getting close!" she panted, looking him in his eyes.

"I, as well," replied Excelsus.

"In me! Fucking cum in me! I want your seed inside my cunt!" she pleaded before Nerscylla came, her walls clamping down onto his length to milk for everything he had to give. Despite her restricting size, Excelsus still bucked into, making her cum again before he also reached his limit. He came hard into her tight pussy, flooding her insides with his cum. Both he and Nerscylla cried out the other's name during their release. After a few moments, they both came down from their orgasms.

Rolling them over, Excelsus laid on his back with Nerscylla ontop. His length still lodged inside of her cunt.

"That was _amazing_," breathed the purple-haired demoness. Resting her head on his chest.

"I'm glad you agree," sighed Excelsus as he massaged her hips with his hands, unintentionally griding his member into her love canal.

"Mmmm," moaned Nerscylla as she felt his length brush against her insides while he brushed a few stray bangs out of her face, "I might not let you go after this."

"I don't I could go after tasting you," he chuckled, moving his right hand from her hip and started to stroke her back, "And I am looking for someone special."

"Looking to go again?" asked Nerscylla as she wriggled her hips, mewling in pleasure at feeling his still-hard erection rub against her, "Because I wish to."

"Only if you promise me one thing," stated Excelsus as he sat them up, the demoness's exposed breasts brushing against his broad pecks.

"What is it, master?" asked Nerscylla breathlessly, her eyes half-lidded while her lips mere centimeters away from his.

"That once we've properly and permanently established ourselves in this world, you will be my Queen," requested Excelsus, surprising the spider demon slightly.

However, surprise turned into honor as Nerscylla, "It would be my privilege, master."

"Don't call me master," asked the demon king as he cupped her cheek with one hand, "Instead, just call me Excelsus."

"Very well, _Excelsus_," smiled the demoness before the two leaned in for another kiss. While the two kissed, Nerscylla's spider legs unhooked themselves from her body to embrace her king and future husband.

While these two demons entered a new relationship, one being would be looking for answers to a more ancient one.

* * *

_**Underworld**_

She had not been here at all before and truth be told, she truly wished she didn't have to come at all.

Hestia was wearing a cloak as she journeyed through the Underworld heading for one place in particular, but as she passed by, she could clearly see the devastation left behind by the demons. The very gates into the Underworld were completely destroyed. Heading deeper into her brother's kingdom, she saw more damage, the fields were laid to waste, plenty of corpses remained from the attack but the most shocking was the ruins of Hades's palace.

Standing in front of what was left of the gate, Hestia took in the sight of her brother's ruined home. It was nearly destroyed, leveled to the ground and everything of value taken. Even the pomegranate tree that Persephone would take care of was gone. Her brother lost practically everything in the span of only minutes. It pained her to no end to see her family suffer for this. Perhaps, if she had tried at all, maybe been more active, she could have prevented this.

"No...," she said to herself, "I cannot change the past."

_'The past...,'_ the thought of her past came to mind and a part of her realized what she was doing was borderline insane. Taking a deep breath, she turned away from the palace and headed right towards a slope.

For a few minutes, Hestia continued down the sleep, being mindful of her footing as it got steeper at points. Slowly, the cavern walls of the Underworld began to narrow on either side as the Goddess of the Hearth ventured deeper and deeper into the darkness. Soon, she was inside a sort of tunnel, no black-grass or trees of any kind, just rock underneath and the dim light of stalactites above. Soon, Hestia began to tense as she went deeper into the tunnel, the smell of evil permeating the air, but this didn't feel nearly as bad as being in the presence of Excelsus.

This was a familiar evil, one that Hestia was more than familiar with.

Soon, the eldest child of Kronos entered a massive dark cavern and at the center was a massive chasm, easily the size of a city block. Hestia steeled herself as she continued to the pit, not even fazed by the deep whisper that seemed to echo through the entire area. It was then the voice grew louder for a moment before pausing entirely when Hestia arrived at the edge of the chasm. The entrance to Tartarus

Hestia took a deep breath before removing her cloak and let it fall into the chasm. It was when she removed her cloak, did a near booming chuckle echo through the entire cavern.

_**"It has been a while,"**_ stated the booming voice coming from the chasm, almost rattling the cavern itself, _**"Hestia."**_

Steadying herself, Hestia called out.

**"I am here seeking council."**

_**"What council do you seek, Hestia?"**_

**"An answer to one question."**

_**"What would I have to gain by answering your question?"**_ demanded the voice.

**"If you agree to answer one question, I will release you and bring you to Olympus so that you may answer this question."**

The voice was silent for a few moments as if contemplating whether or not the deal should be taken or ignored.

_**"And what caused you to seek my council?"**_

**"Agreed to my terms and you shall know,"** stated Hestia confidently.

_**"And what insurance do I have that you will not betray me?"**_

The daughter of Kronos took a breather before steadying herself for what she was about to do.

**"I, Hestia, First Born of the Titan Kronos, swear on the river Styx that I have no intention of betraying you and only seek an answer to one question I possess and will take you to Olympus as previously stated so that you may answer my question.**

Thunder boomed throughout the Underworld, signifying the swear had been made. Nothing happened after the crack and the was proof that Hestia was not lying. The dark voice seemed to hum for a moment before coming to a conclusion.

**_"I agree to the terms."_**

**"Do you swear on the River Styx to answer my question once we arrive upon Olympus?"**

_**"I swear on the River Styx that I will answer your**_** question."** Again, thunder boomed as the promise was made, **_"Now release me so that we may go to Olympus."_**

Hestia sighed, somewhat in relief but also in anxiety because of the risk she was taking. But what was happening needed answers and the only one who had answers was trapped in Tartarus.

The goddess of the hearth held out her right hand and a stream of fire burst from her palm and shooting out to the middle of the chasm. The stream then dipped down into the chasm, heading further and further down. Suddenly, a burst of light erupted as a large blast of heat shot up. Hestia took a few steps back as smoke rose up towards the ceiling.

Hestia let out a short cough before looking at where she was previously standing. From the smoke, a figure began to take form. Finer details began to take shape, a broad chest, with powerful muscles, along with a long black beard and equally long black hair. The figure was clearly male, wearing a red toga and brown sandals. The man had golden irises and stood much taller than Hestia.

Hestia swallowed a lump that was in her throat as she looked at the figure before her.

"Hello," she greeted the man, "father."

"Hello, my daughter," replied Kronos as he approached his first-child, his tone sounding extremely superior and arrogant, "I believe you have a question for me."

"Not here," stated Hestia, her own tone sounding cold and abrasive, "At Olympus."

"Then by all means," guffawed the Titan, "Take me to Olympus."

Hestia took a deep breath before letting it out. Fire surrounded both her and her biological father. When the fire died down, both Titan and Olympian were gone.

* * *

_**Council Room, Mount Olympus, New York City, New York**_

The council room was still in shambles from the surprise attack and many of the gods and goddesses remained behind. The only ones who left were Artemis per her father's orders and Hestia. Zeus was seated on his throne, seething from being shone up, in his own home of all places. A furious scowl plastered on his face.

Many of the other gods and goddesses were conversing with each other, or in Hades' case, consoling his wife, comforting her as best he could. The only one doing anything productive, other than being a supporting husband, was Hephaestus who was repairing parts of the room.

"This is all a giant mess," commented Apollo as he leaned against a pillar, arms folded. With him was Athena, Aphrodite, Ares, and Hermes.

"No arguments there, brother," Athena agreed as she looked around the room, "It is truly an eye-opener. Just how badly we've blinded ourselves to what's out there."

"It really is, but somehow I feel like there's more to this," said Hermes, earning a few looks from those presently speaking in the group.

"How do you mean?" asked Aphrodite, cocking her head to the side curiously.

"Well, I don't exactly know, but it feels personal," the messenger god tried to explain, "Like, when we fought the demons, it felt like there was a deeper meaning to it."

"What in Hades are you talking about?" demanded Ares, "How was this personal?"

"I'm not sure," sighed Hermes, his shoulders slacking, "Maybe I'm just being paranoid."

"Maybe, but I'm still wondering about something," interjected Aphrodite.

"What's that?"

"Where did Hestia go?"

Sure enough, that was a question that had been floating around the entire council room. Right after Excelsus left, Hestia had also vanished out of sight. Leaving her siblings to wonder where she had gone.

"She might have gone back to her home," offered Apollo, however, before Athena could object to that, the doors to the council room that were repaired thanks to Hephaestus swung open and revealed the goddess in question entering.

"Hestia," stated Zeus as he looked down at his sister from his throne, eyes narrowed when he saw the conflicted look on her face, "Where have you..."

Zeus trailed off when he saw who entered behind her. Every single god just gaped in shock as they watched Kronos enter the room. Posideon, Hades, Demeter, and Hera all stared in disbelief at who their sister brought into Olympus. Even the other gods were in states of dumbfounding.

"Hello son," greeted the Titan, glaring at his youngest child, "It's been a while."

"Hestia...," started Zeus as he rose from his throne, his voice shaking with fury, "What have you done?"

"We need to know, Zeus," replied Hestia, looking down, almost wishing to shrink out of existence, "And he is the only one who can give us the answer we need."

"So you release our greatest enemy and bring him here?!" roared Zeus in rage, thunder exploding outside the council room and lightning flashing so bright it was almost blinding.

"It seems the role of king is too much for you, son," taunted Kronos as he brushed past Hestia and towards the hearth at the center of the room, "Look at this place: in shambles and ruin. Not to mention you can't even control your own sister."

"Father," warned Hestia as she got between him and Zeus.

_"I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS!"_ bellowed the King of Olympus, the Master Bolt shining brightly, _"I DEFEATED YOU AND CAST YOU INTO TARTARUS!"_

"And yet here I am, standing before you," continued Kronos mockingly, this time pushing Hestia out of the way, knocking her down to the floor.

"Father, you swore to answer my question," reminded Hestia, her own patience growing thin, but her words went unheard. Soon, the situation started to get worse and worse as father and son traded insults. So, finally having enough, Hestia shouted her question as loud as she could and in that moment the entire atmosphere change.

Kronos's attention changed from Zeus to Hestia in an instant and during that change, his expression took a complete turn. His once proud and arrogant exterior turned into one that she, nor any of her siblings ever seen before. Even Zeus was taken aback by his father's sudden change in behavior.

Eyes wide with disbelief, his expression depicting shock, but it was his Hestia focused on. Behind them, the way they looked at her gave a sign of something she never thought her father would ever show.

Fear-no, more than fear. Actual terror.

"Father?" asked Hestia quieter as she approached the Titan.

"Hestia," began Kronos softly as he turned completely to his eldest child, "What did you just say?"

"I said, 'Did you ever make a deal with a being named Mundus?'" she answered. Hestia flinched for a moment when Kronos reached out to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, but the second he did, she felt him trembling.

"Hestia, daughter," her father's voice shaking, pleading he didn't hear what he thought he did, "Where did you hear that name?"

"A being, a demon calling himself Excelsus," answered Hestia honestly, resting her hands onto of her father's, "He claimed to be this 'Mundus's' son and attacked Olympus. He claimed you made a deal with his father and he was here to collect what was owed."

Kronos let out a sharp gasp, as a flood of memories rushed through his mind. The shock was so great that he nearly collapsed.

"Father!" gasped Hestia as she instinctively caught him, even Posideon who was close by caught his father before he fell. They helped him over to the hearth where he sat down on the edge all the while Zeus watched silently. His anger was gone for the moment as he looked at the being whom he overthrew centuries ago display total fear.

"It's as he said," whispered the Titan to himself.

"Father?" asked Hestia softly as she took Kronos' hand into hers, the Titan looking at his child, terror still filling his eyes, "Who is Mundus, and what deal did you make with him?"

For a few moments, Kronos said nothing before taking a deep breath, he began his tale, of the deal he made with Mundus.

"Do you recall, how I and my brothers defeated my father, Ouranos?" he asked, earning a few nods as the other gods gathered around to listen to the tale, "Well, before my plan was to take action, I was having doubts that I could actually defeat my father, despite the aid of my brothers and the scythe my mother Gaea gifted me. To clear my thoughts of doubts, I traveled alone for a short time. Soon, I found a spot, under a small tree to rest for some time, but during my rest, I had the oddest of dreams."

"In my dream, I was visited by an entity..."

* * *

_*Flashback*_

_Kronos looked around what appeared to a white marble temple, rays of light peering passed the marble columns. Walking through it, his footsteps echoing through the entire structure. It was when he rounded a corner did he find himself at what looked to be an office. There were two chairs displaying incredible designs that he had never seen, both were positioned at either ends of a white table with similar designs. The Titan made his way to the furniture, inspecting it curiously._

_Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him. He spun around to see a man, roughly his height. He had a kind, almost warm smile on his face, with brown hair, and golden irises like himself. He wore white robes and white sandals._

_"Greetings," bowed the man respectfully._

_"Who are you?" demanded Kronos, a little on guard._

_"My name is Mundus," answered the man kindly, "And you are Kronos, the youngest son of the god Ouranos and Gaea."_

_This surprised Kronos and put him on edge, "How do you know who I am?"_

_"Forgive me, I do not get many visitors here," apologized, Mundus with an almost sad sigh, "It appears I'm out of practice, but may I offer you a seat and I will explain how I know you?"_

_Mundus then gestured to one of the chairs which pulled itself out. Kronos, eyeing the chair a moment, did take a seat while Mundus sat across from him._

_"Something to drink?" offered the entity, waving his hand. An ornate glass appeared on Mundus' side of the table and filled with wine, the same thing happened on Kronos' side. _

_"Now, I believe you asked me how I know of you," recalled Mundus._

_"Yes," nodded the Titan, "How is it that you know of me?"_

_"Well, to put it bluntly, because I have observed you," answered Mundus, having his hand again, to the left of them, a large window appeared above, startling Kronos for a moment as an image of his brothers appeared, "It is one of the few things I can do here."_

_"But why did you observe me?" asked Kronos, looking back at Mundus._

_"Because you are not like your brothers, you are unique," explained the entity, "More driven to achieve your goals than any of them. A drive like that does not appear very often in the world."_

_This surprised Kronos, however, a part of him felt pleased to hear such praise. A small smile appeared as the two began speaking as if they had been friends for years._

"Mundus told me that I was different from my brothers, that I had more ambition than any of them, and more drive. He saw my methods and complimented them for me. What I fool I was, blinded by his flattery."

_Kronos was back in the white temple, speaking with Mundus, both sharing a laugh._

"Mundus became my confidant and even a trusted friend. I trusted him so much so that I revealed my fears about the day I and my brother's challenge my father, Ouranos. He deduced that I required some form of security, a buffer if you will, a means to ensure that I would not lose, and so he offered a portion of his powers to aid me, and all he asked in return, was a means to leave his world and travel to ours. In essence, a deal; I would be given the power to defeat my father and in return, I would free Mundus from wherever he was imprisoned. Foolishly I agreed and Mundus granted me some of his power."

_Mundus extended his right hand, blue flames engulfing the appendage. Kronos looked at the hand for a moment before looking at his friend in the eyes. Mundus nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. Kronos smiled and took the hand and the results were instantaneous. Energy poured into Kronos, his veins lighting up brightly while a roar of power erupted from his mouth._

"The power Mundus gave me was unlike anything I had ever felt before."

_Kronos fell to his knees for a moment before getting to his feet. He could feel every single bit of energy coursing them him. It was incredible! A wide smile swept across his face as he let out a war cry, all the while Mundus watched, smirking._

"It was intoxicating. He told me this is how Kings come to power. A little help from a friend."

_Kronos leaped down from the boulder where he was previously hiding. His scythe raised above his head while the blade burned with energy. He brought down the weapon onto his father who was rendered unable to defend himself thanks to Kronos' brothers holding him down._

"With the power granted to me by Mundus, defeating my father was easy and ushered in a new age. That was until the nightmares began coming."

_Kronos tossed and turned in his bed, his face contorted into strain while sweat ran down his face. Inside his mind, he was bombarded by dreams of total madness and terror, monsters and creatures beyond his imagination plagued the entire world. He and his brothers were killed and at the head of it all was Mundus._

_Kronos sat up, eyes wide with fear and a cold sweat running down his face. He looked at his hands and saw them sparking with the power Mundus granted him. He clenched his hands, realizing there was something his 'friend' wasn't telling him._

_"Mundus!" shouted Kronos as he stormed into the temple, "You lied to me! You don't want to experience the pleasures of the world, you want to corrupt it!"_

_Mundus merely chuckled as he reclined in what looked like a throne, "It appears you are finally aware of my true plans, but it doesn't matter now. Not when one goal has been fulfilled."_

_"No, no, NO!" cried the Titan in outrage, "This wasn't what I agreed to! Take your power back, the deal's off!"_

_Kronos hurled an orb of all the power Mundus gifted him right towards the being. The orb merely melted over him and vanish. An unamused expression was on Mundus's face._

_"The deal was that I would help you achieve your goal and defeat your father," reminded Mundus, pointing at Kronos, "You achieved your goal, now all that remains is that you fulfill mine!"_

_"I won't do it!" roared Kronos._

_"Whether or not you fulfill our bargain is inconsequential," stated Mundus, the temple around him beginning to crumble, "While you may not open the gateway, I can promise you, one of your descendants will. They will be more powerful than you, Kronos, and as they say: 'power corrupts."_

_Suddenly, Mundus began to grow in size, causing Kronos to look on in shock as the entity grew to a hundred times his size. Soon, the entire temple crumbled to pieces and revealed a vast nightmare all around. The Titan looked around in shock as the monsters from his very nightmares were all around._

**_"EVEN IF I DO NOT PIERCE THE BARRIER BETWEEN WORLDS,__ KRONOS,"_**_ boomed Mundus, causing Kronos to stare at him in terror, **"ONE OF MY DESCENDANTS WILL. AND IT WILL BE ONE OF YOUR CHILDREN WHO WILL ENSURE MY KIND ENTERS YOUR WORLD AND COLLECTS WHAT IS DUE."**_

_"No, no, no, NO, NO!" shouted Kronos, refusing to believe what was being told._

**_"ONE WAY OR ANOTHER,__ KRONOS,"_**_ stated Mundus as he held out his right hand. In the center, formed a golden disc. One with a demon head biting down on the Omega symbol, **"A DEVIL ALWAYS COLLECTS HIS DUE."**_

_The disc flew right towards Kronos and slammed into his stomach. _

_Kronos awoke with a start, under the same tree he first encountered Mundus. He ran his right hand through his hair and rested his left down on the ground. However, it was the ground he felt, but the cold sensation of gold. Eyes wide with fear, he turned to see the very same disc Mundus gave to him right by his side._

"I had been a fool and been used for another's gain."

_*End Flashback*_

* * *

Kronos had his head bowed, almost ashamed to admit he had been used. Hestia and the other children of Kronos just looked at their father with surprise and confusion.

"The things I saw, even though they were glimpses when I still possessed Mundus' power," Kronos shook his head, "They were beyond terrible, beyond anything I could come up with."

Taking a deep breath he raised his head, "In an attempt to move forward, I tried focusing on my fellow Titans and mother, but I was always reminded of Mundus's promise. That promise became all the more prevalent when I had my first child."

Hestia gasped in surprise.

"When I saw that you had the potential to grow more powerful, I was instantly reminded of Mundus' warning, of how power corrupts. My fear of what might come took control and I did what I believed would ensure this world's freedom from the terror of Mundus."

The Olympians all glanced at one another, realizing that it was just fear of being overthrown that drove Kronos to become the King Canibal.

"If this 'Excelsus' is indeed a descendant of Mundus, then all I can offer is my best wishes," stated Kronos as he sat up and looked at Zeus, "Son, despite our history, none of that matters with the present threat."

"Are you offering your aid?" demanded Zeus incredulously.

"No, I shall return to Tartarus," stated Kronos as he stood up, "Because this is a battle I cannot win, but you might have a chance of."

This shocked all those present. Kronos was going to return to Tartarus willingly?

"The only advice I can give you, my child; is do not squander a single possible advantage when facing someone like Mundus, because you will need every possible advantage."

Hestia looked away for a moment, thinking about one particular individual.

_'Nero...'_

**_To Be Continued..._**


	7. Chapter 7 Blows and Brimstone Part 1

_**Glad to see everyone enjoying the story. There will be future sex scenes, but they won't be happening often, only every once in a while, so don't get too excited. Now, I noticed that some of you might not enjoy the idea of Nerscylla being a spider. To remedy this somewhat, Nerscylla will primarily remain in her human form throughout the entire story and only on rare occasions will she be in her demon spider form. This isn't really the answer you may want but it's all you're going to get. I may change her appearance later on, but there is little to no guarantee of this.**_

**_Moving on._**

**_I'm a little surprised nobody got that little reference near the start of the previous chapter. The 'money bin' Excelsus referred to is actually a reference to Scrooge McDuck's giant vault of gold coins and treasure that he swims through every once in a while. I'm not making this up, the official name of Scrooge's vault is the Money Bin. I'm a little disappointed in all of you for not getting that reference._**

**_Anyway, we're getting off track._**

**_This chapter will be primarily focusing on Nero and co on Vie de Marli. I will be incorporating events of DMC 5: Before the Nightmare into my story, modified to fit my purposes and the timeline. There will be small changes as needed, but I will remain as close as I can to the main part of the story. _**

**_Although, I do have one question involving the inclusion of one specific mechanic of Devil May Cry games. Should, or should I not include the Bloody Palace as a means to help Nero and others train in the future? Like, I know it doesn't make sense, but it would be really interesting and possibly funny seeing the Olympians try their luck in the Bloody Palace and only get to half the rank either Nero or Dante achieve. This idea is just speculation and won't happen for a long time. Like, perhaps in book 4, maybe 3? I don't know, just let me know what you think, okay?_**

**_Proceeding forward._**

**_I plan to bring back some previous demons or species of demons like the Glavenus because why the hell not, and also because I like Acidic Glavenus and think that a Devil like him would be all Samurai-like in mannerisms and fighting style._**

**_Another thing is that I'm still considering combing the two stories together. The poll is still up and I hope everyone voted at some point. I want to know what should I do! Combine the stories for simplicity or just keep things the way they are, I don't know?_**

**_Also, I wanna apologize for taking such a long time to update. I had a lot on my mind recently and had midterms to study for so I had to direct my focus elsewhere._**

**_I also want to thank Wrath of the Sun Deity for helping me out with the story. He's my unofficial editor while Mayday is still absent. Wrath, thanks a ton for all your help while writing this story._**

**_One last thing, this chapter may be longer than previous chapters, which isn't a bad thing, but something to be aware of, okay?_**

**_Okay, I'm done._**

**_I hope you enjoy the chapter! _**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing! Capcom owns Devil May Cry, Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson, the only thing I own are certain events in this story._**

* * *

_**Devil May Cry: Slayer's Return**_

_**Chapter 7: Blows and Brimstone Part 1**_

_**Matier's Cottage, Vie de Marli, Caribbean**_

Things got pretty interesting when Dante, Nero, and the others entered Matier's cottage with the aforementioned elderly woman and Lucia. Also, a little more context as to how Nero's uncle knew either of them was given. As it turns out, a little after Dante met up with Lucia on the job at a museum where something called the Arcana Medaglia was put on display. After some convincing, he went back with her to Vie de Marli, or Dumary Island as she called it, where he first met Matier. She asked Dante to help her fight, Arius, an international businessman who used demonic power to try and take over the world. Surprisingly, Dante agreed to help over a coin toss. It was revealed that Arius was planning to use the Arcana, several demonic artifacts to release Argosax.

So, long story short, Dante takes down Arius, saving the world but has to defeat Argosax in a portal that had opened briefly. Inside the portal, Dante defeats Argosax but is temporarily trapped in the Demonworld and finds a way back home.

"Sounds like you had quite the job," snorted Nero as he sat on a couch inside Matier's Cottage, "Makes you wonder how you find the time to sit down at Devil May Cry."

"Yep," sighed Dante as he rubbed his eyes in a tired fashion. While the whole story was informative, Nero was a little interested in the details between him and Lucia since they were a little brief about them, focusing only on the business part of the conversation, but he'd ask about that later. Right now, Matier had her eyes closed and was in deep thought about what Dante and Nero just explained to her.

"This is indeed troubling news," stated the elderly woman after a few moments, however, she then gave Dante an expectant stare, "Though I am curious as to how you escaped the Demon World after defeating Argosax."

"What can I say," shrugged the aged Devil Hunter, "a portal opened up and I took the opportunity to get home."

"Seems a little convenient that a portal would open up right in front of you," remarked Nero, his tone a little suspicious. In their line of work, people tend to be not that lucky.

"It isn't as far fetched as you might believe, Nero," interjected Saeko, speaking up from the side of the room they were in, "In places where there is great demonic influence, portals between worlds can open up at random times."

"Durmary Island is one such place," concurred Lucia, "It is also the reason the Guardians exist to protect the island and the people."

"Fortuna has the same deal," added Lady, folding her arms as she leaned back in her chair, "Durmary Island has its Guardians..."

"And Fortuna has its Knights," rationalized Nero, agreeing that it did make sense for people to exist that focus on dealing with demons, however, he shook his head after a minute, "While that's all well and good, I think we're getting off-topic."

"Yes, the prospect of a descendant of Mundus in our world is worrying," agreed Matier, returning to the matter at hand, "However, the involvement of the Greek Gods is troubling as well."

"It's kind of interesting that Nero happens to be the son of a goddess," added Lucia, glancing at the mentioned hunter.

"Don't remind me," he replied sharply, the topic of his mother still very sensitive.

Seeing that he was slightly uncomfortable with the mention of his heritage, the redhead moved right along with the next subject for discussion. Nero's vision.

"You said Nero recently had a vision of the future?" she recalled, "Which is why you came here to ask for our help?"

"Partially, we aren't certain the vision he had is a hundred percent true," explained Trish, glancing at Nero for a moment. The teen had his arms folded and eyes closed, his head was bowed down slightly, as if in contemplation.

"Would you care to explain how that is the case?" requested Matier, having been aware that children of the Greek Gods all share a connection to the Fates, "Wouldn't his connection to the Fates confirm what is to happen in the future?"

"Normally that would be the case, if Nero was completely human," interjected Saeko, her tone neutral but one could just hear a small amount of concern in her words, "Before we began our journey, Lord Raiden informed us that Nero's connection was damaged, or more specifically, his connection to the Fates was flawed."

Now that caught Matier's and Lucia's attention as surprise spread across their faces. Meanwhile, Nero opened his eyes and unfolded his arms to rest his elbows on his knees. He glanced down at Devil Bringer for a moment, silently recalling what the Shinto God of Lightning told them.

* * *

_*Flashback*_

_"Essentially," stated Nero as he headed for the door, leaving the others behind him, "We've got work to do."_

_"Before you go, there is something you should be aware of, Nero," spoke up Raiden heading towards Nero, "It applies to your connection to Fate."_

_"Yeah, it gives me headaches," retorted the hunter as he stopped at the door, Devil Bringer gripping the door handle, "You took care of it for the moment."_

_"I refer to the reason for your headaches," corrected the deity, eyes narrowed slightly while his tone grew grave, "The cause of the pains is indeed related to your heritage as a Demon."_

_This update caused the hunter to pause and turn to the Shinto god of thunder, it also grabbed the attention of the other hunters, as well as Patty and Morrison. _

_"So the kid's demon half is causing some interference," condensed Dante, folding his arms as he leaned against the wall of the office, "Would chalk it up as a good thing."_

_"If only that were the case, son of Sparda," countered Raiden as he approached Nero, "Nero's connection to Fate is more than just flawed, it is fractured into hundreds of different paths."_

_"'Paths'?" repeated Nero, eyes narrowing, "plural."_

_"Indeed, Nero's demonic heritage is refusing to conform to the path the Fates' have placed and is causing ripples in the flow of fate, affecting countless others," elaborated the thunder god, "In essence, there is no one future tied to Nero and any around him, creating uncertainty of the future. The migraines you experienced are visions of possible futures and events, however, each future has a chance to partake pending Nero's present actions and decisions."_

_The hunters glanced at one another for a moment, however, Nero had only one response to this revelation._

_"So basically, it's like before when I didn't know what's going to happen next?" surmised the hunter._

_"Somewhat, but be warned," cautioned the deity, "While I have temporarily disrupted your connection, preventing further visions, it will not last for long. It is for that reason I suggest that Saeko accompany you specifically, Nero."_

_Nero glanced at the mentioned woman for a second, "Any particular reason you're pairing us up?"_

_"Saeko's training and heritage gives her acute understanding of the human mind," explained the deity gesturing to the purplette who stepped forward, "Should my temporary disruption begin to falter, she will be able to reinforce what remains and prevent possible deterioration and a flood of visions."_

_"I am fully able to assist you, Nero," bowed Saeko to Nero. The hunter only arched his eyebrow slightly._

_*End Flashback*_

* * *

"So Saeko is basically Nero's mind nanny?" smirked Lucia in amusement, looking between Dante's nephew and the purple kunoichi. Nero rolled his eyes and folded his arms while Saeko just remained passive.

"Basically," shrugged Dante as he jabbed a thumb at his brother's son, "Raiden's fix won't last long so she's there to keep it together until the next time he can reinforce it."

"Be better if I could just break the connection," muttered Nero in a sour tone.

"Be that as it may, there are still things we must discuss," interjected Matier, reminding the group as to why they were on Vie de Marli, "Such as recent developments on the island."

"Is it more important than Mundus's son coming to the Human world?" challenged Dante, reclined in the armchair within Matier's cottage.

"Dante, this is actually related to Excelsus's arrival, though not directly," advised Lucia, narrowing her eyes slightly at the tone he used when addressing her adopted mother. The veteran hunter just shrugged and directed his attention back to the aging woman.

"When you first came to this island, Dante," she recalled, "Do you remember the name of the demon that brought you?"

"I killed things like a big monkey if that helps?" shrugged the hunter.

"I'm referring to Argosax," corrected Matier, sounding a little annoyed.

"Remembering the names of devil's I killed isn't really useful to me and a waste of my brain," snorted the son of Sparda, "Only reason I remembered him is when we did our little trip down memory lane. Besides..."

Dante's tone grew darker as his eyes narrowed, "There's only one name of a devil I'll never forget."

Everyone in the room knew exactly who the owner of the name was: Mundus, the demon who killed his mother all those years ago. Matier cleared her throat before continuing her story.

"Sometime after you defeated Argosax, a demon emerged," as she spoke, Matier glanced at Lucia for a moment, who nodded before heading to the side of the room towards a desk of drawers. Opening one, she withdrew a stack of papers and brought them to the coffee table and set the stack down. On the top page was an image of a demon, a rather porky but no less muscular one at that, "Its name is Balrog."

Dante leaned over to the picture and picked it up, inspecting the demon further. It was a large one, with a slightly hunched back, four massive ram horns protruding from the head while the face was covered with a black mask, but allowed it's glowing eyes to be seen. The chest was protected with several armored plates that looked similar to a ribcage. Huge wings sprouted out of the back, the stalks engulfed in flames but was missing the membrane needed between the stalks to allow flight. A long thick tail swung out from the demon's end. The most notable thing was the metallic gauntlets, greaves, and shoulder pads that were attached to the demon.

"He's a big one," snorted Dante as he handed the picture to Nero for a look himself.

"Balrog was Argosax's right-hand man," added Lucia as she folded her arms.

"I already took care of the number one guy," snorted the hunter with amusement, "Now I've got to deal with the number two guy?"

Dante's self-assurance and confidence in himself weren't unfounded, having already defeated Argosax, a demon _god_, without much issue. And he's a lot stronger than he was back then, so Balrog didn't sound that much of a threat to him.

"For a time, around half of hell rallied behind Balrog," revealed Matier, her expression, catching the attention of all the hunters.

"That's a lot of demons," noted Nero as he tossed the picture back onto the table.

"No kidding," added Lady.

"It looked like Balrog was going to be able to slip through a portal to the human world recently, deep within the island," informed Lucia as she looked through the stack of papers and took out an old map of a mine within the island, "In an abandoned mine."

"I feel like there's a big 'but' to be had here," interjected Nero, folding his arms and looking right at the redhead, "And I think it has to do with our demon problem."

"You would be correct," nodded Lucia, "There have been signs that Balrog and his horde were gathering in the mine, but until three weeks ago, it's as if every demon there has left but one."

"Balrog," realized Saeko.

"So basically that big pulse when Nero closed the portal at his family's camp was a calling card for every demon on the planet," condensed Lady, seeing where this was going, "And the demons that were following Balrog, just up and left him for Excelsus?"

"It would appear that way," nodded Matier.

"Why hasn't he fallen in with Excelsus then?" asked Trish.

"Probably pissed that all his lackeys ditched him for Excelsus," snorted Nero as he stood up from the couch, "Either way, we got a job to do and a tight schedule to keep."

"Nero is correct," Matier agreed, "It is best that you all deal with Balrog and any lesser demons that may still be on the island."

"Still need a little confirmation from Lucia," spoke up Dante, turning to the aforementioned redhead, "Once we're done here, you up to help us save the world from Mundus' brat while also dodging Nero's family?"

"You know as well as I do, Dante," she smiled, "I'm more than willing to fight the monsters of the Demon World."

Dante smirked at her enthusiasm before standing up, "Glad to hear it, now let's go while we still got some daylight to burn."

Each of the hunters in the room nodded and started for the exit, however, Matier suddenly stopped Dante with her staff.

"Dante," she addressed the son of Sparda, "Might I have a world?"

"Kind of busy right now," he countered, but the aging woman was having none of it.

"No, we are going to speak, now," stated Matier firmly as Lucia and the others exited the cottage. Once everyone was out, the door to the building shut and when it did, Matier addressed the man in red with a surprising sentence.

"You're a cruel man, Dante," criticized the woman, slapping her staff against Dante's left arm.

"Any reason for that sentence to come out?" asked the veteran hunter pointedly, as he rubbed the spot where Matier struck him.

"Not returning for ten years after leaving Lucia and the island," supplied Matier as she leaned back into her chair.

"Couldn't help it, I was stuck in a garbage dump and traveling between worlds isn't exactly easy either," he defended, folding his arms.

"Perhaps, but that still doesn't exactly explain how you managed to travel between the Human World and the Demon World, or why you didn't return after you managed to escape," countered the elderly woman.

"Got a little theory on that," sighed Dante as he paced across the room, "First time I went to Fortuna, they had the Hell Gate right on display, around the same time they had Yamato before Nero got his hands on it. Figured it had something to do with my brother's old sword."

Dante glanced out the window to see Nero speaking with Trish and Lady, the veteran hunter's eyes fell onto his nephew's right arm. The Devil Bringer as he likes to call it.

"Before my brother got it, it was a memento from our old man," recalled Dante, "A sword so sharp it could slice through the boundary between the Human World and the Demon World."

"Lucia initially objected to bringing you back to Dumary Island," sighed Matier, remembering the conversation they had before she went off to try and find Dante, "but then again, there aren't many young men left on the island."

"Wouldn't call myself a young man anymore," countered the son of Sparda, "Though it does make me wonder. How long do I got before I'm too old for this gig anymore, considering who Sparda was. Not even sure I'm aging anymore."

"Lucia waited for you to return to the human world, making dozens of trips to your office. Before you eventually did come back."

"I remember," smiled Dante as he recalled that memory.

* * *

_*Flashback*_

_10 years ago..._

_Lucia was standing in Dante's office, in Devil May Cry, leaning against his desk. She was wearing a brown leather jacket, a white blouse, blue jeans that were rolled up and dark brown high heeled boots. She had her hair tied up in her usual braid and hung down in front of her face, covering the left side. Strapped to her hips was her duel blades, Cutlaseer as they were named._

_This had been the fifteenth time she waited at Devil May Cry for him. _

_And while she waited, Lucia tossed the coin he had left her before ending up trapped in the Demon World. She remembers what he said to her before crossing the portal._

_'My job is hunting devils... Devils never cry.'_

_Lucia tossed the coin back up into the air, watching it flip several times._

_'I know...,' Lucia caught the coin as Dante's last sentence echoed in her mind, 'He did the same thing.'_

_Lucia sighed before opening her hand to look at the coin Dante carried with him._

_"But...," the redhead said to herself, "Sparda did come back."_

_Suddenly, the silence of the office was broken when Lucia heard a sound. Looking up to the front windows, she saw a light glowing through them and the rumble of a motorcycle engine. Her eyes widened when she heard the engine shut off. Tossing the coin she kept with her since that day back into the air, Lucia rushed to the front doors, forgetting about the coin._

_The adopted daughter of Matier threw the doors open and a small gasp came from her when she saw Dante standing in the doorway, a little worse for wear, but in pretty good health. Rebellion was still strapped across his back, his red coat a little faded, but there was no mistaking this was Dante. Safe to say he was a little surprised to see her, and although he was surprised to see Lucia in his office, she, on the other hand, felt a different emotion. _

_Joy._

_Tears started to well up in her eyes as she saw the man whom she had been waiting for for so long. Before he could make a comment about the waterworks, Lucia threw herself at him, wrapping his arms around his torso and burying her face into his chest. _

_Dante was even more surprised than before, not entirely sure what to do for a few seconds while Lucia cried into his coat. After putting the pieces together, the Devil Hunter sighed as he wrapped his own arms around Lucia._

_"I missed you too, red," chuckled the son of Sparda and rubbed her back tilted his head forward._

_*End Flashback*_

* * *

Dante let out a snort of amusement as he recalled what happened next in that memory.

"Moment was kinda ruined when a call came in with the password," he chuckled, "Tend focus solely on a job when given one, so there might be a little problem trying to hook us up."

"While admirable, to put such focus on one's career, that is not what I meant," scolded Matier, "It's not like I want you to marry Lucia, all I wanted was for you to give her one happy memory."

"My bad," shrugged Dante, "I have my reasons."

"That's hardly an apology," stated the woman, "Your father had a better way with words and apologies."

"I like to think myself a better man than my father," snorted Dante, which earned him a jab from Matier's staff.

"If that's the case, then try to be a little more courteous to Lucia," she ordered.

"Alright, alright," groaned Dante, rolling his eyes as he headed for the door, "If you'll excuse me, I've got a devil to take care of."

Matier shook her head as she watched Dante exit her cottage, however, a part of her did hope that what she said, or at least a bit of what she told him got through that thick skull. While she wasn't Lucia's mother by blood, she loved that girl as if she was truly her own and she wanted her to be happy. She remembers the times when Lucia would come back from his office, how disheartened she was each time Dante didn't show up.

But the time came when Dante did return and she could see that Lucia was overjoyed to see him back once more, despite not returning to Dumary Island. Matier just sighed as she leaned back into her chair.

"I do hope that one day, she will be able to find happiness," said Matier to herself.

* * *

_**Uroboros Mining Co., Vie de Marli, Caribbean**_

While Uroboros, the multinational company that was headed by Arius before his defeat, was in business on the island, one of its first projects was attempting to start a mining operation when several mineral deposits had been discovered. The mine had initially been pretty profitable, but as time went on, the mine began to run dry and was eventually closed when it had nothing more to give.

The mine was rather impressive, digging deep into the bedrock of Vie de Marli, even revealing some massive chasms beneath the island. But despite the enormous caves, no one had ever been down into the mines in years. No one until presently.

Several gunshots echoed through the mine, followed by a monstrous roar. A primate-like lesser demon hit the ground, a bullet hole between the eyes and a few holes in the chest. Suddenly, more demons of similar appearance were gunned down.

Dante smirked as he leads the group into the mine, gunning down several demons with Ebony and Ivory.

"Nell, these babies really were your magnum opus," smirked Dante to himself as he twirled the firearms on his fingers before swinging his arms out and shot two more demons in the heads. In the small tunnel, the devil hunters were at work, taking out several demons that remained behind with Balrog.

Trish was wielding the massive Devil Arm, Sparda. The giant sword was as long as the She-Demon was tall, with one massive single blade formed by two smaller blades. The Legendary Devil Sword of the Dark Knight was very unusual in both appearance and function. With a spiral handle that leads to four skulls on the pommel with a spike on the top that was split in half, with the frontward more elaborate and forming a small blade that curves around the bottom of Sparda's blade. The blade had a spine-like structure attached to two curved blades via an organic-looking substance. Together the blades form one long blade when in sword mode. The top portion has a large glowing red gem-like object in the center. The other side has two significantly smaller gems; glowing orange and pink. Sparda's blades can reorient themselves to give Sparda various shapes to suit its needs such as a spear or scythe.

Trish easily put the legendary weapon to good use as she hacked and slashed through several demons. The lesser demons didn't stand a shred of a chance against such a powerful weapon. It was also clear that she had received some tips from Dante about using the sword because a few of her slashes looked very similar to his own moves.

While the blonde took on a small group of lesser demons, the other hunters took out whatever came their way.

"As usual, your guns are wonderful," commented Lucia as she had her Cutlaseer drawn. The twin blades were both rather thin, similar in shape to an elephant's tusks curved in the opposite direction. While they were smaller, they did allow Lucia to perform rapid slices and slashes.

"You know it," chuckled Dante turning to look at Lucia as he shot a lesser demon between the eyes without even looking, however, the hunter glanced past the redhead, "You may want to turn around."

"Why spoil the surprise?" grinned Lucia before she suddenly backflipped right over another demon that tried tackling her. As she flew over the beast, her blades flashed as the devil hunter left dozens of cuts all over the demon's back and limbs. The creature roared in pain before it was silenced when Lucia sheathed one of her blades and threw a knife right into its head.

"You guys seem to be doing well," noted Nero as he sliced a demon clean in half, "But can you save the nostalgia trip for later? Like, after we take care of business."

"I'm with Nero," agreed Lady as she fired her twin 9mm pistols at a few demons, "Let's just take care of this demon then you guys can go back to whatever it was you were doing."

"Yeah, yeah," shrugged Dante as he holstered his hand cannons before looking at Lucia, "You know the island, any idea where our problem is?"

Lucia nodded.

"Deeper into the mine," she explained, "There's a terminal that controls the lighting within the mine which should make it easier for us to see."

"Is this place even connected to the main power grid anymore?" asked Nero as he sheathed his sword across his back. The lesser demons were taken care of, at least in the immediate area, "Like you said, this place was abandoned when the mine went dry."

"The mine was powered by a geothermal generator. It may still be down here and may still be operational."

"Good, because not all of us have demonically enhanced vision," commented Lady referring to herself and Saeko.

The other hunters nodded before following Lucia as she leads the group to the terminal. Dante was walking relatively close by the redhead. Following the two was Lady, with Nero, Saeko, and Trish bringing up the rear.

"Dante and Lucia seem rather close," noted Saeko, speaking to Nero.

"Never thought he'd be close to anyone," admitted the Legendary Devil Hunter's nephew.

"You might not believe, but Dante has a softer side," interjected Trish, glancing at the two from the corner of her eye. Nero gave the blonde a skeptical look, not exactly believing her at all.

"Yeah, 'Dante' and 'soft side' isn't something I'd think would be in the same sentence," he snorted, glancing at his uncle for a moment.

"For the most part, that is true," agreed Trish as she picked up the pace slightly, passing both Saeko and Nero, "but there are still plenty of secrets Dante has."

Both young adults paused for a moment to glance at each other, Nero giving the purplette a shrug before looking back at his uncle with a cocked eyebrow. It was true, there was still a lot about his uncle that he didn't know about, but a 'softer side'?

Back up with Dante and Lucia, the two were walking in comfortable silence before the former decided to speak up.

"It's been a long time hasn't it?" began Dante, causing Lucia to look back for a moment.

"It has been, Dante," she replied, giving the son of Sparda a quick once over, "It appears a few years have caught up to you. You've aged a bit."

"What?" the hunter gave the redhead a bitter smile, "I think you just imagining things."

Lucia rolled her eyes, a small smile forming.

"But what about you?" he returned, "You haven't changed a bit."

Lucia's smile fades slightly at that and a melancholy look crosses her face, "You know as well as I do, Dante, that I will never age, no matter how much time passes."

Dante frowns slightly, recalling the details of her origin, "I wouldn't be too upset, you know how many women try to spend thousands of dollars to try and stay young looking?"

This doesn't really help Lucia as a somewhat lonely expression settles across her face. Switching tactics, he tried to lighten the mood.

"Dark dreary mine, demons popping out every corner, a giant fire devil waiting for us to fight him," he listed, letting out a dry snort and formed a wry smile, "With all that in mind, I'm basically a gift from heaven."

This gets a smile out of Lucia, albeit a small one before she suddenly stopped and turned to face Dante. Suddenly, she stepped towards him and pulled him into a gentle hug, surprising the hunter slightly.

"Thank you for coming, Dante," she said softly before letting him go and proceeding down the tunnel, leaving him stunned for a moment before letting out a bemused snort and followed her. It was then the group arrived at what looked like an office of some kind.

"This is the junction room that connects to the generator," informed Lucia as she kicked the door open. The metal door broke through the lock and swung open as the group entered the office. Inside, there was dust everywhere, on the tables, chairs, floor, walls, not to mention dozens of cobwebs throughout the room.

"You weren't kidding when you said no one had been down here in years," noted Nero as he waved his hand in front of himself, trying to wave away some dust.

Lucia didn't respond as she approached a terminal with dozens of buttons, switches, dials, and meters. Giving the entire thing a once over she flipped a few switches before a humming filled the room.

Suddenly, a few light bulbs began to flicker in the room while the hum became louder and more of a drone. To the side of the room was a window that looked out into a larger chamber. The group went over to look out the window and at what looked to be a main junction for minecarts. Dozens of rails broke off into other tunnels while floodlights illuminated the area.

"Very impressive," commented Saeko as she looked out the window.

"No kidding," agreed Lady.

Dante and the other demonic members of the group didn't respond for a moment. However, it was because the former suddenly picked up an interesting smell, something smelled an awful lot like sulfur. It was then the way of the office adjacent to the window was suddenly torn from the office.

The group spun around to see a hulking devil looming over them, one that they had all seen the pictures of.

_**"INTRUDERS!"**_ roared the devil as he towered over the hunter. Just like the photo, Matier had, Balrog was hunched back fire-demon with massive wings of fire, a blazing tail, large horns, and armored gauntlets, grieves, and helmet. The beast drew back it's right fist and sent a powerful punch at the group.

The hunters reacted by jumping through the window and into the chasm below. All six warriors landed on the gravel floor with relative ease and all turned around to see the junction room be consumed in flames.

"Well that's one way to meet someone," noted Dante casually as he rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles, a smirk forming across his face.

"He's certainly a fire demon," commented Trish as she rested her right hand on her hip and leaned to her left, she then glanced over at Nero, "Your little vision say anything about this guy?"

"If it did, you think I wouldn't have mentioned something?" retorted Nero as he drew Red Queen while Saeko drew her own sword, gripping the Katana in both hands.

Through the smoke and fire, Balrog peered down at the group, his nostrils flaring as he sniffed the air. A low growl rumbled from the beast as he picked up one particular scent.

The demon then leaped out from the office, a trail of smoke and fire following him. The hunters all looked over them as Balrog flew over their heads and crashed down to the floor, shaking the ground slightly on impact.

_**"So, you finally came,"**_ greetedBalrog, his voice echoing through the chamber as he stood up and turned around to face the intruders, _**"The infamous son of Sparda has graced me with his presence."**_

"Didn't know you were waiting," taunted Dante.

_**"Indeed," **_confirmed the demon, _**"I knew that if I waited here, sooner or later, someone strong enough would enter the mine."**_

"Well don't get the wrong idea pal, we were just in the neighborhood to ask a friend for help and we heard you were stirring up some trouble," corrected Dante, his tone casual.

"Besides, we have bigger fish to fry then you," added Nero, also smirking, following his uncle's lead.

_**"You refer to Excelsus,"**_ spat the fire-demon bitterly.

"You've heard of him," smirked Dante, "surprised an introvert hears anything these days."

_**"Do not take me so lightly!"**_ snapped Balrog angrily as he took a step towards the group, the ground shaking as he did so.

"Kinda hard to do when he's the one making the big moves," jeered the son of Sparda, folding his arms, "but if it's all the same to you, let's cut the chit chat-"

Dante then drew Rebellion from his back and readied himself for battle, Lucia, Trish, and Lady doing the same with their own weapons while Nero and Saeko adopted combat stances, "And get to the fighting."

_**"So be it,"**_ growled Balrog as he let out a thunderous yell that echoed through the entire mine. Suddenly, demons started coming out of the tunnels leading into the main junction area. About twenty demons into total responded to Balrog's roar.

"Well now things are interesting," noted Dante as he flipped Rebellion around, "but let's get down to business!"

Dante then leaped at Balrog, being the first to attack while the Devil let out a roar.

* * *

_**The National Archives, Washington D.C., United States**_

Athena let out a frustrated sigh as she left the National Archives, spending several dozen hours searching for anything related to the name Mundus and so far she hadn't found a single thing. Not even a mention of such a being. It's as if someone or something had gone completely out of their way to ensure the world never knew the name 'Mundus.'

"Waste of time," muttered Athena to herself as she pushed through the doors and left the building. The goddess was wearing jeans, nice black shoes, and a grey t-shirt underneath a black jacket, "Not even a mention of this thing!"

Suddenly, her phone began to ring and she took out the device... Even deities can use cellphones.

"Yes?" she addressed the caller.

_"Have you found anything?"_ asked Zeus, wanting an update on the research.

"Not even a mention of whoever this is," replied Athena, in an annoyed tone.

_"Well, clearly you missed something!"_ snapped her father, _"There has to be something!"_

"Father, I went through every file in the building, searched every document even related to demonic occurrences or history," explained Athena, her tone shaking slightly as she did not like being made a fool of or being denied info being the goddess of wisdom, "I'm telling you, there's nothing about a demon named Mundus!"

It was at the mention of the previous demon king did a couple stop for a moment, or the man did anyway. He paused in the doorway as his wife looked back at him for a moment.

_"Keep looking!" _ordered Zeus, _"I don't care how long it takes! Your sister has had more progress finding the boy then you have of uncovering whoever this Mundus is! Now keep looking!"_

It was then the call was cut and Athena glared at the phone for a few seconds before storming off. The man that had heard Athena's conversation watched her go off to what appeared to be a cafe across the street. The man was wearing a white collared shirt with a black suit jacket, he also wore white pants and black shoes. His hair was raven black and eyes were dark grey. Resting on his nose was a pair of round glasses.

"Honey?" asked the woman, coming over to her husband, taking hold of his hand in both of hers. The man looked at his wife, she was an average-sized woman wearing a light pink blouse with a red skirt and high heels. She had chocolate brown eyes and auburn hair, as well as oval glasses, "Is something wrong?"

"Everything's alright," promised the man, turning to her for a moment, "just thought I should help out that lady for a moment with something."

"Oh," responded the wife, sounding surprised for a second, "What was it she needed help with?"

The man then turned in the direction of the cafe where he saw Athena sitting at an outside table, cooling off for the moment.

"Just thought I should give her a little direction on where to look in her research."

_**To Be Continued...**_


	8. Chapter 8 Blows and Brimstone Part 2

_**And here we are, part 2 of Blows and Brimstone. Glad to see everyone likes the story and hopefully will get as many followers as Godly Demon, one can only hope. Anyway, more references for the Devil May Cry series will appear in the story, even the reboot. As a stand-alone game, DmC was good, but cannot ever compare to the redeal. In any case, more references will appear and I hope everyone likes where the story is going.**_

_**To Dragon Bone Z: I will not kill Nerscylla off, not yet anyway, she still has an important role to play and to increase the drama and tension of the story. So, just deal with her for a while.**_

_**I. AM. SO. SORRY!**_

**_I am so sorry for making you all wait for so long! It wasn't fair to any of you who really like this story to make you wait for nearly a year! It really wasn't alright at all and I am sorry. All I can say in my defense is that I had been working on Devil May Cry for so long I had started to get kinda tired of writing the same thing for such a long period of time. So I basically took a very long vacation from the story to pursue and explore other ideas for stories as well as starting new ones. I want to thank zarmag in particular for not giving up and reminding me about this story and that I still had work to do. So for that, I want to give a special shout out to zarmag for never giving up on this story and pushing to get me to work on it again. I also want to apologize for ignoring you for a while as well, I've had a lot on my mind with some college classes I am taking, the whole COVID-19 pandemic, the upcoming presidential election; I just needed some time to deal with it. Not to mention, getting into writing the whole story again. However, I am thankful that you still want to see what happens next in this story. Thanks, buddy; you're the best._**

_**I would also like to clarify something about the story. It has been brought to my attention that there has been some issue with the labeling for this story, specifically the pairing between Nero and Saeko. The labeling states that Nero is paired with an OC where I claim that the OC is actually just Saeko from Highschool of the Dead. I would like to state that I'm sorry if some people believe I am claiming that I created Saeko, that is not the case. I did not create Saeko, it's just that I do not have an option to pair her with Nero, at least with her proper name given that Saeko is not found in either Devil May Cry or Percy Jackson. I wanted to label it so that Nero is paired with someone, just not anyone from either DMC or PJ, and the only option I had was to use the OC label for characters. I am sorry if this upset some people and I've managed to find a workaround in the form of writing (Nero X Saeko in the description, the reason I did not do this earlier was that I did not believe I had enough room to write it in but upon looking once more, I could).**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Capcom owns DMC and Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson.**_

* * *

**_Devil May Cry: Slayer's Return_**

**_Chapter 8: Blows and Brimstone Part 2_**

**_Pavilion Café, Washington DC, U.S._**

Nothing. She had found absolutely nothing.

Athena was currently sitting at a cafe not far from the National Archive with a laptop on the table, having decided to use the internet to try and search for any clues where she might find a document to who or what Mundus was. While Kronos did say that Mundus was a demon, her father wanted to be certain and tasked her with finding out any information involving a demon named by the name of Mundus. With access to pretty much every database on the planet thanks to her godly status, Athena had been searching for about an hour and was getting extremely frustrated.

Because in all that time, in all that research, she found nothing.

_Nothing._

Absolutely. Nothing!

Now she was certain that someone or something was purposely making sure that any information regarding Mundus did not exist, or was not accessible to anyone. Being denied like this was not something Athena was used to and she did not appreciate it at all.

She continued typing on her computer trying other databases but always met the same result.

Nothing found.

She even tried the FBI database and lo and behold, nothing.

Athena did consider searching up Nero, Hestia's son, but the information regarding the boy was extremely limited and did not lead to anything useful. Something else that bothered the goddess of wisdom, such little information regarding the boy. Up until two years ago, it was as if he didn't exist at all, something very strange to the deity. Athena even tried facial recognition for his allies but met the same result: little to no information.

This search for answers was creating more questions than answers.

"Who are you?" muttered Athena to herself as she folded her arms and leaned back into her chair, staring at a photo of Nero.

"Excuse me?"

Athena looked up to see a young man standing to her left, his hands in his coat pockets while his eyes focused on the deity.

"Do you need some help?" he asked kindly.

"Excuse me?" responded Athena carefully.

"My apologies," said the man, bowing his head slightly, "It's just that I overheard your conversation at the archive, that you were having trouble performing some research and it sounded very important."

Athena rolled her eyes, thinking this was some man who was hoping to get lucky somehow.

"I'm sorry, but this isn't any of your business so if you would please-"

"Researching the demon king Mundus is a difficult task," stated the man, cutting Athena off and immediately getting her attention. The deity narrowed her eyes slightly when he spoke.

"Who are you?" demanded Athena carefully.

"Someone who knows a few facts about beings such as Mundus," replied the stranger evenly as he took a seat across the table from her, "One such fact that regular databases will not help you in this search."

"Why would you help me?" pressed Athena, sitting up straight as she focused all her attention on the man.

"For one, there are two types of people who are researching a being like Mundus," answered the stranger, "One type are those who wish to do terrible things with the creatures related to Mundus."

"And the other?"

The stranger pushed his glasses up and looked Athena right in the eyes, "The other type are people whose entire perception of the world has been shattered, and now they want to know just what kind of monsters lurk in our world and just how afraid they should be of what else can go bump in the night."

Athena shifted in her chair at that, hearing the dark tone the stranger took when speaking to her.

"What is it you know of Mundus?" she asked, wanting to get as much information as possible about this demon.

"Unfortunately, I am not that adept with descriptions or history," sighed the stranger, however, he leaned forward and grabbed one of the napkins that were on the table, he glanced at Athena for a moment, holding out his right hand. The goddess narrowed her eyes at first but eventually reached into her jacket and pulled out a pen, handing it to him, "But I know someone who will have all the information you need."

The stranger began writing down what looked to be an address of some kind, prompting Athena to lean forward to have a glance. Upon finishing, he picked up the napkin and pen and held them out for the goddess to take.

"He goes by the name Phineas, he owns a bookstore at this address," he stated while standing up from the table, "Once you find him, tell him what you seek and that Bradley Hagel sent you."

It was upon further inspection did Athena notice one thing in particular. The postal code.

"This address is for New Orleans," stated the goddess as she stood up, glaring at Bradley.

"I said I could help you with information regarding Mundus," he replied evenly, pushing his hands into his coat pockets, "But it is you who must make the effort to do the research."

Bradley started to walk past Athena though he paused for a moment by her side and leaned over to her ear, "Also, do not underestimate the sons of Sparda and blood of Sparda for even a second. And if I were you, I would pick up the pace. You know all to well that Zeus doesn't like being kept waiting."

Athena's eyes went wide, for a second. He knew?! He knew that she was a goddess and who her father was?! In that split second of shock, Bradley passed the goddess of wisdom.

"Hey!" she began, getting out of her stupor and spun around to try and stop Bradley, "Wai-?!"

When Athena turned around, Bradley was gone. The goddess of wisdom swung her head around trying to find him, but whoever he was, he was gone. The deity looked around a few more times, but it was clear, he wasn't anywhere in sight.

The daughter of Zeus narrowed her eyes before letting out an annoyed groan before she looked at the napkin. On it was an address, postal code, and the name of the bookstore in question.

_'__Diaboli Archive.'_

Athena was skeptical of how valid this information was. One major reason for her distrust was because of the postal code. 70166. The postal code for Storyville, New Orleans, a historic and still active Red Light District.

The goddess debated whether or not she should follow through with this lead. This was the first solid piece of information she needed to do her research, but the location of said information was in a section of town where prostitution was very prominent.

After a minute of debate, Athena let out a sigh and steeled herself. Grabbing her computer, she put it in her coat and glanced at the address once more. In a bright flash, that was shielded thanks to the Mist so mortals didn't see what happened, the goddess of wisdom vanished from sight. Little did she know, that Bradley hadn't gone far and watched her leave. He was standing at the entrance to the National Archive, out of sight of the goddess.

"So proud. So naive," muttered Bradley to himself before he glanced to his right and saw his wife hook her arm around his.

"Are you going to tell me what that was all about?" she asked kindly, giving him an inquisitive look.

"I will, Angelina," promised Bradley as he leaned over and gave a soft kiss, surprising her momentarily. He pulled back and gave a warm smile, "But for now, let's just enjoy D.C. Our tour is starting soon."

Angelina nodded and the two entered the building and head towards a group of other tourists who wanted to learn about the National Archive. However, Bradley recalled when he first encountered the son of Sparda, knowing exactly what was going on. He felt the barrier between words break if only for a moment and he knew who was responsible for its breaking.

Mundus has sired many descendants but none were like this one. In short, Dante and his allies were in the fight for not only their lives but the lives of every creature in the human world. However he shouldn't think about that now, he had his wife to think about.

While a husband and wife were enjoying themselves, a group of six were far from having fun.

* * *

_**Uroboros Mining Co., Vie de Marli, Caribbean**_

Inside the main chamber of the shutdown mine, the sounds of battle echoed through the hundreds of tunnels within the earth. Along with crashes of metal, inhuman roars and shrieks, blasts of heat could be felt through the tunnels as the six demon hunters fought the devil Balrog and whatever demons that were still lurking around. It went without saying that the fight was pretty bloody and gruesome to the untrained eye, but for the Hunters, this was another day in the office.

Nero had Red Queen drawn in his left hand, mercilessly hacking right through whatever demon that came his way. The youngest member of the line of Sparda was cleaving away at any demon that came within striking distance of Red Queen. The former weapon of the Order of the Sword was currently working in overdrive, the human-demon-god hybrid constantly gunning the Exceed with all of its power.

"Come on!" jeered Nero as he sliced one lesser demon in half before spinning around and slicing the legs off another that tried attacking him from behind, "Is that all you losers got?"

The youngest hunter dashed to the side to avoid one demon that tried smashing him into the ground. The son of Hestia suddenly lashed out his right hand, Devil Bringer lighting up as a spectral version of the young adult's right arm appeared. The clawed appendaged grabbed the demon by its leg and yanked him towards the hunter. The white-haired teen proceeded to smash the demon into the ground like a rag doll, kicking up some dirt in the process.

Several roars from behind got Nero's attention. Snapping his head in the direction, he saw several demons charging towards him. Still gripping the leg of the demon he smashed, Nero smirked before he let out a yell of exertion as he started bashing the poor demon into its brethren.

While Nero was taking care of the demons that attacked him, the others were dealing with the lesser demons that went after them. Trish was using her handguns to shoot whatever demon that came her way, only really using the Devil Sword Sparda on her back when she actually needed it. Alongside the blonde demoness was Lady who was using twin 9mm handguns, shooting the heads of any demon that came her way, , only really using the Devil Sword Sparda on her back when she actually needed it. The former servant of Mundus was easily in her element, switching from her trusty handguns, Luce and Ombra, pistols that once belonged to Sparda himself, to the massive sword on her back. Gripping the handle, Trish slashed at the incoming demonic apes, slashing down to cleave one lengthwise, before swinging up, slicing open the chest of another before she swung horizontally, cleaving a third in half at the waist.

Each demon howled in pain as they dissolved into dust while Trish was already attacking another group of demons, Sparda transforming into its scythe form so she could throw it at a line of lessers and engage a few others in unarmed combat. One might think this would be suicide, but for Trish, it was another day at the office as every time she threw a punch or a kick, her fist or high-heeled boot respectively was wreathed with golden electricity, zapping each demon she struck. It also helped that she was much stronger than a human and far more durable as well.

Alongside the blonde demoness was Lady who was using twin 9mm handguns, shooting the heads of any demon that came her way. At times, the human demon hunter would switch to one of her other weapons in her very large arsenal she carried. Inside her belt was a very large assortment of hand grenades, which the woman tossed about five out directly in front of her while jumping back to avoid the shrapnel of those explosive devices as the nades detonated, catching about five demons within their blasts. Lady the rolled to the side, avoiding the swipe of a lesser demon that tried attacking the demon hunter with red and blue eyes.

Getting right to her feet, Lady grabbed her main tool of demonic destruction: her rocket launcher, Kalina Ann, named after her late mother. Resting the explosive launcher on her shoulder, Lady took aim at around 10 lesser demons. It should be worth mentioning that despite being inside a cave, the demon hunter was still wearing her amber sunglasses, however, for good reason. The buxom demon huntress smirked as the right lens lit up with a small display as the demons in her line of sight were target locked for her launcher. Pulling the trigger on Kalina Ann, the powerful rocket launcher let loose a salvo of miniature rockets. The small projectiles screamed towards the lesser demons, exploding on collision.

While the blonde and raven huntresses took care of the lesser demons that attacked them, Lucia was dealing with her attackers in her own unique way. Out of the entire group, the redhead had the smallest weapons, but that didn't make her any less deadly to demonkind, as Lucia knew exactly how to use the Cutlaseer, her own trademark swords. Shaped like elephant tusks curved in opposite directions, the artificially created demoness used the small blades to incredible effect, being able to swing the blades much faster than the swords used by the others. On top of her faster swing speed, the adopted daughter of Matier was very acrobatic, much like Trish and Lady were. Lucia carved up whatever demon came her way while also using some throwing daggers as well, she was more than able to hold her own in a fight.

After throwing a pair of daggers, Lucia backflipped into the air to avoid a demon that rushed her from behind. Landing on its back, she stabbed her Cutlaseer into its shoulders before ripping one out and plunging it into the side of its head. Satisfied that was dead, she jumped off the lesser demon, and while in the air, she hurled three daggers into three demons, the sharp projectiles piercing the beasts' respective faces. While they wailed in pain, Lucia quickly closed the distance between them when she landed and in a wide slash, decapitated all the demons in one swing. Following her swing, the redhead crouched down low and took something out from her belt and placed it on the ground beneath her. When several lesser demons charged, Lucia leaped into the air to allow the four or so demons that lunged at her to crash into each other on top of the object Lucia left behind. It was then the small object exploded, taking out all the demons piled on top of it just as Lucia landed back down on the group. Lucia's own take on explosives, Cranky Bombs; could be thrown like grenades or set on the ground.

Back with Nero, the hunter had Red Queen drawn once more, using his sword to mercilessly slash demons apart left and right. However, he paused for a second after taking the head off another demon as his attention fell onto the sixth and newest member of their group.

Saeko was weaving between lesser demons with incredible grace while using her sword, a Kissaki Moroha-Zukuri-style double-edged nihonto katana to be exact. Unlike the dark-forged katana, Yamato that Nero carried, The Murata-tou lacked any devastating magical abilities, but what it was capable of, was being able to wound or kill any demon as well as any sword against a normal human. The purple-haired girl moved with purpose and flow as she slashed any demon that came close. One demon tried slashing the young woman with its claws, but Saeko used the blade of her sword to deflect the outstretched limb and hack it right off. Before she spun around, reversing her grip on her sword before plunging the blade into the demon's stomach with her back to the creature.

Ripping the sword out, the huntress rushed towards another demon, still holding her katana in a reverse grip, she leaped up into the air and performed a quick spin while above the beast, and sliced the head right off. Landing back on her feet, Saeko then spun around to her right, avoiding another lesser demon and retaliated by slicing its waist. It was then, she reached towards the back of her belt and drew her gun. As it turned out, the handgun Nero assumed was a Desert Eagle wasn't actually one, but a variant of the Beretta 92FS, the M92 Vertec. Unlike other 92FS models, the Vertex has a vertical grip, short-reach trigger, thinner grip panels, integral accessory rail, as well as several other modifications.

With her sword in her right hand and gun in her left, Saeko took on whatever demon that came at her. With wide and quick slashes, she cut down any that came too close and took out others just outside her sword's range. Swiping with elegant but deadly grace, Saeko took out several demons with the Murata-tou and finished others off with deadly shots from her Vertec handgun. While she was taking out their foes Nero watched her.

"She's good," he commented, mainly to himself as he rested Red Queen on his shoulder.

"Admiring her from afar, now complimenting her?" teased Trish as she approached the youngest hunter from behind, prompting Nero to turn around to face her as she sheathed Sparda across her back, "Are you sure you don't like her?"

"Not this again," grumbled the son of Hestia, sheathing Red Queen on his back and folding his arms before turning back to Saeko as she shot two more demons with her gun before she used another as a step ladder to jump up into the air and slash it across the back as she came back down.

"Teasing Nero again, Trish?" asked Lady as she twirled her handguns on her fingers before holstering them, having finished off the demons that were attacking her.

"Just having some fun," replied the blonde demoness with a soft chuckle.

"At my expense," muttered the white-haired young adult as he unfolded his arms and drew Blue Rose before he shot a lesser demon between the eyes right behind him.

"I assume this has been going on for about as long as Ms. Busujima has been a part of our group?" inquired Lucia as she also joined the group, tossing a Crank Bomb behind her which then exploded, turning about three demons into meaty chunks.

"Pretty much," replied Lady as she took a grenade of her own from her belt and tossed it away from the group, blowing up several lesser demons.

"Starting to see why Dante isn't always thrilled when you two are around," remarked the youngest hunter to himself as he glanced off to the side.

"Nero, there's nothing wrong with liking someone, and besides," Trish spoke up; however, she paused for a moment as she moved towards Dante's nephew and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Don't you think it's time to move on?"

"If it were that easy don't you think I would have?" countered Nero as he swiped the blonde's hand off him, "You know as well as I do it's not. Not after what happened."

With nothing more to say he stepped away from the three women, his back to them as he looked down at the floor of the abandoned mine. Meanwhile, Trish, Lady, and Lucia just looked at the white-haired young adult for a moment before looking towards each other. The blonde demoness just sighed and shook her head while Lady folded her arms and glanced down. They both knew, and Lucia to an extent that Nero was right, he couldn't just move on after losing Kyrie. Kyrie was basically his entire world, his everything; she was the light in the darkness that kept him from turning out as someone worse. She helped him keep his humanity and accept his demonic nature. No one could just move on from someone like that, especially someone like Nero.

While this was happening, Saeko just finished taking out the last demon that was attacking her. Holstering her Vertec, she suddenly flicked her sword out in an incredibly quick slash. The speed of which she swung the sword was enough to actually remove the demon blood that stained the silver steeled katana. This was a symbolic process called Chiburui or chiburi, which translates from Japanese into "shaking off the blood". While it may not be possible for an average swordsman to remove all the blood from their blade with a simple swipe, there are some who can perform the feat, her being one of those few. With the blood now removed from her sword, the purple-haired huntress sheathed her blade back in its saya.

With the demons that once attacked her dead, she turned to face the other members of the group and headed towards them. As she approached, she noticed that something… was bothering Nero. She saw that he had his right hand pressed against his chest and his eyes closed. She was just able to make out the words 'not again' from the hunter.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked Trish, making her way towards the three women, but kept her attention on Nero, "He looks… conflicted."

"Nero is fine, he's just trying to come to terms with something that happened in the past," replied the blonde as she also directed her attention to Dante's nephew.

"How do you mean?" inquired Saeko, turning towards the former servant of Mundus, her eyebrow raised.

"It's not my place to tell," Trish answered, "If you want to know, you should ask Nero. But don't expect an answer, he's still not over what happened."

While not a concrete answer, the young woman nodded as she returned her focus towards Nero. While she was not a fully-fledged demon hunter like the others, she did know that being a demon hunter was a career that came with all forms of pain. From physical and mental suffering to emotional torment. Demons and Devils can be extremely petty to being outright sadistic and cruel. They play mind games, figure out what it is that a person fears losing most, and use whatever they can to make their victims suffer. There was no getting around that fact, all demon hunters faced this fact at some point, and it looked as though it was Nero's turn to do so as well. But it did make her wonder what happened to him. What event caused his pain?

Before could ask herself any other question a loud bellow echoed through the chamber, drawing the attention of all the other demon hunters within to look towards the final member of their group and the one with the longest career of hunting demons.

Dante was completely in his element, a wide grin on his face, his eyes full of joy and fun as he held Rebellion in his right hand and took on the lesser demons that attacked while also fighting the devil that warranted all this attention: Balrog. The son of Sparda swung his claymore sized sword as if it weighed next to nothing with incredible speed, slicing lesser demons completely in half. The demon hunter charged towards one lesser demon that was already midway through throwing a punch at him and proceeded to slice that demon's arm off. Jumping back to dodge another demon that tried smashing him into the ground, Dante swung Rebellion upward, the blade ripping the demons open vertically before spinning around and bringing the Devil Arm down, slicing the demon in half from its left shoulder down to its right hip.

Another lesser demon charged towards Dante from behind, but the demon hunter merely smirked as he leashed out his right leg, his boot slamming into the demon's stomach causing it to keel over before spinning around to decapitate another that charged the hunter from his right. It was then Dante, jumped to the side, dodging Balrog's fist that crushed the ground where he previously was standing. The son of Sparda let out a chuckle as he twirled Rebellion around in his hand before he thrust the sword forward at the fire devil. Seemingly sliding across the floor, the tip of his sword impacted against Balrog's arms as he defended himself against the devil arm that once belonged to the Legendary Dark Knight.

The devil grunted as it swung its tail at him, but missed as Dante leaped into the air. While still in the air, a symbol appeared underneath Dante which allowed him to somehow jump again despite being suspended in thin air and jump right over the fire demon. Twisting around, the demon hunter took Rebellion in both hands and brought the sword down across Balrog's back, causing the beast to snarl in pain as it stumbled forward. Bring his arms in close to his body as a boxer would, the devil lunged towards Dante, pulling its right arm back to throw a fist wreathed in flames at the son of Sparda. The white-haired veteran demon hunter jumped up over the fist but was forced to defend himself when the devil then threw a sudden uppercut with its other arm. The blow collided with Rebellion as Dante used the flat side to defend himself against the attack and was sent flying through the air but landed with hardly any effort back on the ground.

_**"I must admit, son of Sparda,"**_ stated Balrog as it flexed its arms and entered a boxer's stance, _**"You more than live up to your reputation, if not surpass it. Not many are able to avoid my attacks so easily."**_

"Well, there's a first time for everything," replied the Legendary Devil Hunter, "For example, you don't seem too mad about me avoiding you like I just did."

_**"The joy I am receiving from facing such a worthy foe is greater than the annoyance I feel when you evade my blows,"**_ replied the fire devil,_** "And as you said: 'there's a first time for everything.'"**_

"That there is," agreed Dante as he rushed towards Balrog once more, the creature pulling his fist back and launching another blow. The two combatants far to absorbed in their own world of combat to notice the spectators watching them.

"Should we not assist Dante?" asked Saeko glancing at Lady, Trish, Lucia, and Nero to her left.

"Trust me, Dante is more than able to take care of himself," replied Trish without even taking her attention off the fight in front of them, "If anything, we should help Balrog, if only to give him more of a chance."

"Yeah, Dante still hasn't started to take him seriously," added Lady.

"Besides, why spoil the show?" interjected Nero as he followed his arms.

Saeko didn't seem to agree with their decision to not help at first, but then she did admit that she noticed he didn't seem to be taking the devil as a threat seriously. If anything, he was merely toying with the beast. While each other demon hunters had their own opinions on the fight before them, Lucia was the only one who's thoughts differed the most from them.

After she and Dante had parted ways after they defeated Argosax, Lucia had decided to commit herself to improve her studies and get stronger. When Argosax was defeated, she realized that Dante was far more skilled in combat than her and had way more experience in fighting demons. In a way, she felt as though she owed Dante because, without him, she would have more than likely failed to stop Argosax. It was for that reason wanted to improve her studies and get stronger so that would never have to rely on Dante again, but to also repay him for all that he had done for her.

But watching him fight now, she realized that he had only gotten stronger since the last time they fought side by side. The creation of Arius clenched her hand tightly as she wondered if Dante's battle prowess was a result of his experience or was it simply because he had the blood of Sparda coursing through his body.

One might say it was a combination of both as the fight between Dante and Balrog was beginning to heat up, quite literally. The flames that formed the fire demon's wings were burning even hotter as the ground beneath the beast was actually starting to melt from the temperature. It was after the fire demon stomped its foot against the ground to send a wave of fire at Dante, who expertly dodged the attack, a question formed in the Devil Hunter's head.

"Think we could pause for a second?" asked Dante as he sheathed Rebellion across his back and made the 'timeout' motion with his hands, "I gotta ask you something."

_**"What is it you desire to know?"**_ replied Balrog.

"How come you like fire so much?" asked the Devil Hunter, "I mean you're not the only devil to use. There's Berial, Agni, Phantom, and Ifrit who all use fire. So how come fire is such a common choice among demons? What's the appeal?"

_**"Simple,"**_ answered Balrog, as he pulled back his right fist, _**"Fire is unprecedented. Though many before me have used this element, I exceed all of them!"**_

"You don't say?" drawled Dante as he folded his arms.

_**"I do!"**_ affirmed the fire devil as it raised its claw into the air, _**"Now die!"**_

It then brought the limb down with a monstrous speed right on top of Dante, with every bit of power. But as this happens, the Devil Hunter never lost his carefree smirk. What happened next was a massive cloud of dust was thrown into the air.

"Dante?!" shouted Lucia who took a step forward but was stopped by Lady who grabbed her shoulder.

"He's fine," assured the devil huntress, "He's taken far worse than that."

"I impaled him with Rebellion once," commented Nero, drawing all eyes to him. It was after a second he noticed their stares, ranging from 'seriously?' to 'What?!'.

"What?" demanded the youngest descendant of Sparda, "We've all attacked Dante at some point. Trish impaled him with dad's sword while Lady shot him in the head, both when they first met Dante."

"Fair enough," shrugged Lady while Trish hummed in acceptance.

"You impaled your own uncle?" asked Saeko, still surprised to hear Nero admit something so casually.

"Didn't know we were related at the time," he explained, "Besides, being impaled is nothing new to him."

Saeko didn't seem ready to let this go just yet, so the grandson of Sparda decided to change the subject back to the fight, "Seems like Dante has made his move."

Returning their attention back to where Balrog and Dante stood, the dust cloud had settled enough to reveal that the demonic fist that would have turned a normal person into a smear on the ground was frozen a few centimeters from Dante's face. It was upon a closer look did the group notice that the two were separated by a near-invisible wall, but that wasn't all. In Dante's hands was not Rebellion but a different Devil Arm entirely: a three-pronged nunchaku to be exact.

"It's been a long time since I've used these, I'm not good with heat," commented Dante as the barrier between him and Balrog suddenly shattered into fragments, forcing the devil back. Fragments from the barrier were scattered as far as the group of four watching the fight between the hunter and the fire demon. Lucia noticed one of the fragments had landed quite close to her. Curious, she bent down to pick it up. Immediately, she felt how cold the fragment was.

"Ice?" noted Saeko as she noticed the fragment in the redhead's hand.

"Didn't think Dante still had that," commented Nero as he folded his arms, "Thought he sold his Devil Arms to Enzo."

Speaking of the Devil Hunter, the son of Sparda suddenly began twisting the nunchuks around in his hands with a noticeable amount of skill, even flipping them over his shoulder, all the while letting out obviously exaggerated whoops that you would hear in some cheesy kung fu movie or cartoon. It was after a few more seconds of this did Dante enter an exactly exaggerated stance. As he held this pose, the nunchucks chains began emitting some cool air.

**_"This form and this power... Did you subjugate one of the Cerberus?"_** Balrog asked before his tone changed, _**"Do you think the strength of those mongrels is enough to defeat my fire?"**_

"I don't know," shrugged Dante with a smile, "Let's find out."

With that, Dante launched himself over Balrog and proceeded to whip the fire demon with Cerberus. The icy weapons bashed into the devil, causing it to roar in annoyance as it was not a fan of such cold. The sudden reveal of this weapon had actually caused Lucia to remember something her mother once told her, _"Among the devilish weapons (Devil Arms) there are special ones - they represent the demons themselves, who took the form of swords, axes, and everything else. If you want to get this, you have to crush the demon and gain power over him. Or become a friend to him."_ So Dante was able to gain this Devil Arm though one of two ways: forcing the demon to submit to him, or befriending it. Dante didn't strike her as the type to force someone, even a demon into his service so he must've found a way to befriend this demon. If so, how? Because it seemed that it was paying off completely.

Balrog was trying to retaliate against Dante, throwing his fist forward, but missed Dante as he confidently flew through the air, as if he suddenly gained the ability to fly right then and there. While in the air, the chains on Cerberus bent in such a way as if it was preparing to bite someone like a real dog. Landing back down on the ground, the Legendary Devil Hunter charged back into the fray and back at Balrog, spinning like an axle on a car, Dante used Cerberus to land multiple hits against the fire demon, holding the nunchaku by the ring that connected each chain to its respective handle.

Balrog roared in fury as he retaliated by attempting to stomp right onto of the Devil Hunter, but missed as Dante rolled to the side. Getting back to his feet, the son of Spardaslipped his hand into the ring of Cerberus and spun the weapon on his wrist behind his back for a moment.

"Freeze!" he shouted as he thrust the weapon into the ground in front of him, all three handles striking the ground. From the point the Devil Arm hit the ground, large spikes of ice shot up in front of him, moving in a straight line right at Balrog where the spikes of ice actually sent the fire demon staggering backward before it fell onto its back.

"C'mon puppy," Dante suddenly said to seemingly no one around him but if you looked at where his attention was, it was on Cerberus in his hand, "it's not like I got rid of you."

Resuming the fight, Dante rushed right towards Balrog, planning to take the fire demon out while it was down. But this what the former right hand of Argosax was waiting for. When Dante jumped up into the air, the fire demon tucked his right leg in and sent out a brutal kick that struck Dante dead on, sending him flying back and sliding a good twenty feet.

_**"ENOUGH OF THIS!"**_ roared Balrog as he suddenly began gathering as much fire as he could in his right fist. With enough fire, the fire demon launched itself right towards Dante, its right arm reared back. With no time to dodge, Dante does the only thing he can and surrounds himself with Cerberus's ice. Whatever kind of protection that ice offered was worthless as Balrog punched right through the ice and struck Cerberus dead on.

A massive flash erupted from the point of the collision before a shockwave followed. Balrog was blasted back, tumbling across the ground while Nero, Saeko, and the others were sent sliding back several feet not being as badly affected by the shockwave.

"Anyone else hear about a thousand tiny bells?" asked Nero as he held his right ear.

"Yeah," replied Lady as she was also holding her head.

Nodding, Nero turned his attention to Saeko to see that she had fallen onto one knee. Walking over to her, he held out his left hand to the purple-haired huntress.

"You okay?" he asked her, Saeko taking his hand after a moment.

"I'm fine, thank you," she answered, "But what about Dante?"

Looking to the point of the miniature explosion, they could see the son of Sparda was pretty much completely unharmed. Standing up from the center of the shockwave, Dante blushed his coat off before turning his attention to the ground before him.

"So much for puppy," he commented, his tone neutral as he then directed his attention to Balrog, who was struggling to get back to his feet, "But he went out fighting like he wanted. So I guess I'll have to finish the job."

Making his way towards the downed fire demon, Dante drew Rebellion. Rolling onto his knees, Balrog was panting, exhausted from the fight. The beast was hunched over, using its left hand to support itself as the explosion to destroyed Cerberus had also destroyed Balrog's right hand. Seeing that the fire demon was running on fumes, Dante decided to ask the demon something first.

"Well… wanna continue?" he asked, bending down at his knees slightly.

_**"No…,"** _replied Balrog, completely out of breath, _**"I know better than to continued to fight the son of the Great Sparda."**_

"But it didn't stop you from fighting in the first place," pointed out the Legendary Devil Hunter.

_**"You humans have a saying: curiosity killed the cat,"** _Balrog began, _**"There are many rumors surrounding you, Dante. About how you defeated the emperor, Mundus and took the ruler of Argosax… Rumors can often be exaggerated, but…"**_

"But?"

_**"Those rumors greatly undersell you,"**_ stated Balrog, as his breathing became slower and the fires that surrounded him began to waver and die.

"So," said Dante as he stood up straight, "you're giving up."

Balrog took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

_**"I am."**_

That caught Dante by surprise, as well as Nero, Saeko, Trish, Lady, and Lucia. This demon was giving up? Any other demon would have kept fighting to the bitter end, refusing to even acknowledge the idea that anything else was greater than it. But here was one surrendering.

_**"I understand your confusion, but if I tried to fight, I would lose,"**_ explained the fire demon, _**"The difference between us is too great for me to even compare. But this will not be my end…"**_

The flames that surrounded Balrog suddenly flashed and swept towards Dante, swirling around the Devil Hunter in a whirlwind of fire.

"Dante!" shouted Lucia as she was about to go help, but was stopped by Trish.

"He's fine," said the blonde demoness, getting Lucia to look at her, "If anything, he's about to get an upgrade."

Not quite sure about what she meant, she returned her attention to the miniature tornado that surrounded the son of Sparda. Mustering whatever strength remained, Balrog rose to his feet before going down on one knee.

_**"I want to continue to fight! Fight with the strong! The strongest! I will not die at your hand!"**_ proclaimed Balrog as his body suddenly turned to ash. The flames that surrounded Dante swept down and picked up the ashes before rushing to Dante, enveloping him, _**"I will become your instrument, son of Sparda! Use me! So I can continue to fight! I can save strength in endless battles! And when I gain enough power to crush you, we will fight again!"**_

With the demon's final words, the flames that covered Dante from head to toe vanished, revealing the Devil Hunter to be completely unharmed. True to Trish's word, the son of Sparda had indeed received an upgrade in the form of new weapons to replace the loss of Cerberus. This new Devil Arm took the form of a set of gauntlets, greaves, and shoulder pads. All of the components were metal and plated in such a way that they looked like cooled magma. The gauntlets have yellow eyes on the back of the hands that have black slit pupils. The shoulder pads have two large spikes that curve out to the sides of Dante before curving upwards.

"Huh," said Dante after a moment, inspecting his new weapons.

"Dante?" asked Lucia, approaching the son of Sparda with the others in tow, "Are you alright?"

Dante stared at her for a moment before responding, "As you can see-"

_**"No problem,"**_ Balrog's voice suddenly came from the weapons, causing Lucia to step back in surprise, _**"Not a single one."**_

"Hey," began Dante, looking at the weapon on his hands, "If you want me to carry you with me, sit on your hand straight and keep quiet. We've got enough to deal with as is and your chit chat gets on my nerves, so do us a favor and shut it. Got it?"

Balrog didn't respond after a moment, not giving any indication of whether or not he would listen to this request.

"Better," stated the son of Sparda as the newly acquired Devil Arm vanished from his arms, legs, and shoulders and into his coat.

"If we're done here, I think we should get going before we waste any more time," suggested Nero, "We've got a long boat ride ahead."

"I agree with Nero," spoke up Saeko as she turned to the mine exit, "We had better move fast if we are to avoid Poseidon's notice when we take the boat back to the mainland."

"Well then," concluded Dante as he and the others made their way out of the mine, "Next stop, Fortuna."

"Fortuna…," Nero said quietly to himself as a few memories surfaced, some of them were good while others, less so. Saeko glanced over at Nero for a moment, seeing the same look on his face appear once more. A concerned expression soon adorned her own visage as she looked at Nero for a few more seconds.

_'What happened to you, Nero?'_ she asked herself.

New questions rose for select individuals, one person was about to finally find some answers of her own.

* * *

_**New Orleans, Louisiana **_

She finally had a solid lead, granted it was a lead given to her by a complete stranger who approached her at complete random and then vanished as fast as he appeared, it was still far more than she had accomplished on her own. And while her pride had definitely taken a blow, being forced to rely on someone else for help, her desire to solve this puzzle outweighed her injured pride. So here she was, in the Deep South of the United States, in the capital city of Louisiana. This part of New Orleans was once known as Storyville, the red lights district of the city from the 1890s to the late 1910s. While she would have preferred to be someplace else, she couldn't give up now, not when she was so close.

Standing in front of what looked like a run-down bookstore that bore the name _Diaboli Archive_. The building appeared to be of gothic design, which caused the goddess of wisdom to frown but put that aside for the moment as she started towards the bookstore. Pushing the wooden door open, a bell that was hung just over the doorframe rang. Letting the door close behind her, Athena took in the whole bookstore. The place was no bigger than one of the cabins found in Camp Half-Blood. Bookshelves lined the walls while tables had books stacked on top of them. In the back was a cashiers desk and a doorway that led into what she assumed was the back room.

"Hello?" called out Athena, "Is anyone here?"

"I'll be with you in a moment," said a man's voice from the back room before the owner of the bookstore emerged. The man was clearly worn, having a white mustache and white goatee, and barely any hair anymore. He had winkled skin on his face, but the most prominent thing about the man was that he only had one eye. A grayish-blue left eye while an eyepatch of sorts covered his right. He was wearing a red jacket which was open to reveal a necklace dangling around his neck. He also wore grey pants and black shoes.

"I'm very sorry for the delay," apologized the man as he stepped towards Athena, "I don't get customers very often these days. Not when people can just download books on the internet."

"It's alright," assured Athena after a moment of pause, "I'm trying to conduct some research, but haven't been able to make any progress. It wasn't until I was directed here by someone who said I could find what I was looking for here in your store."

"I'll see what I can do to help you, ma'am," answered the man, "But where are my manners: my name is Phineas, I am the owner of this bookstore."

"It's good to meet you, Phineas," replied Athena.

"Now," began the owner of the bookstore, "What is it you're researching?"

"I am trying to find any information regarding a demon," explained the goddess of wisdom. As soon as she said that, she noticed Phineas's entire demeanor changed at the mention of 'demon'.

"'Demon', you say," repeated the man, his tone becoming cold.

"Yes," nodded Athena; her guard up fully, "I was doing research about a demon named 'Mundus' and haven't made any progress. That was until a man named Bradley Hagel sent me here."

"Ah," Phineas relaxed, albeit slightly as he scratched his withering beard, "Bradley sent you. I do believe I have just what you need."

Turning away from her, Phineas headed towards the back of the store once more, leaving Athena alone for a moment. Not soon after did he return carrying a very thick and very old book in his hands. The book was hardcover with some leather over the cover and spin. The spine had intricate details etched into it. Phineas carried it over to the cashier's desk with Athena following closely as he moved behind the desk with her on the other side. With a grunt, he put the book that was about as wide as a cafeteria plastic tray is long. On the cover, Athena could read the title of the book.

_Necrocompendium._

"If Mundus is who you want to know about," began Phineas as he pushed the book towards Athena, "You will find everything you need in these pages. As well as much more."

"Thank you," thanked Athena as she was about to take the book, the man pulled it back for a moment.

"But before you read that book, let me give you a piece of advice," he offered, "When you read that book, try opening your mind. What looks like a dead-end is really a puzzle. It's all a matter of… _perspective_."

Athena seemed taken back somewhat by the advice but nodded none the less.

"Good, now if I were you, I'd get studying," suggested Phineas, "And don't worry about paying, it's on the house."

"Thank you," replied the goddess of wisdom as she grabbed the book with both hands and hauled it off the table. The daughter of Zeus was taken aback by how heavy the book was, even with her godly strength. But right now, she was too happy to finally have a solid source of information.

As she left the bookstore, Phineas' appearance suddenly shifted. Where once he appeared human, now he had indigo skin and gaunt features. His ears were now pointed, but he kept his mustache and beard. His clothing shifted so that he appeared to be wearing exquisite robes. The right half of his head is comprised of a mechanical device with a lens in it.

"Good luck, pagans," said the now revealed demon, "you will need every bit to survive what is coming."

_**To Be Continued...**_


End file.
